By Bill Heaney
MSP Jackie Baillie has thrown her support behind Labour’s pledge to deliver a fairer deal for home care workers.
The party has committed to deliver a boost to the pay packets of carers not getting paid what they are legally owed.
Thousands of workers in the hard-hit care sector, who deliver care in clients’ homes, are being short-changed by employers.
Many sectors, including home care, are eligible to be paid travel time, however, not all workers have seen this reflected in their pay packet.
Instead, they are only paid for the time they actually spend in someone’s home.
But Labour has issued assurances that it will help deliver a boost to hard-working home carers, as part of the party’s promised reforms to ‘Make Work Pay’ for working people.
It is estimated that the move will support some 48,331 adult social care workers in Scotland, many of them in the Dumbarton constituency, who carry out home care visits.
Labour has pledged to work with its newly-created Single Enforcement Body and HM Revenue and Customs to ensure that National Minimum Wage regulations on travel time are enforced.
Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie, left, said: “Social care workers, including home carers, are amongst the most vital workers in our society. Sadly, their worth is often not reflected in the pay they receive.
“The pandemic brought it home to many how hard-working social care workers are and how much they do for those they care for.
“They deserve a fair deal and the SNP government have failed to deliver on their pledge to recognise the efforts of the sector by delivering a National Care Service and increasing pay.
“Many of my constituents are employed in the social care sector and I know how hard they work.
“I am delighted that Labour will do their best to make sure that work is recognised where it matters.”
- As of September 2023, there were 64,441 home help workers in Scotland. https://caring-times.co.uk/registered-social-care-workforce-grows-2-5-in-scotland/#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20registered%20social,of%204%2C064%20on%20April%20202
- UNISON analysis has found that some 75% of home help workers have reported that they aren’t paid for travel time. https://www.unison.org.uk/news/2023/06/majority-of-homecare-staff-are-unpaid-for-travel-between-visits-says-unison/#:~:text=Three%20quarters%20(75%25)%20of,says%20UNISON%20today%20
- 75% of 64,441 workers is 48,331.
- If an employee has a fixed place of work (such as an office they go to every day), their regular travel time to and from work does not usually count as working time.
- However, some jobs have no fixed place of work, where the worker spends a lot of time visiting customers or clients. People who do this work are sometimes known as ‘peripatetic workers’, and under the law can be entitled to paid travel time. This includes domiciliary care workers.https://www.acas.org.uk/working-time-rules/working-time-for-someone-who-travels-for-their-job
- The Scottish Government released its plan to end exploitative work in January 2018. https://www.snp.org/our-plan-to-end-exploitative-work/