There are now over 1000 health and social care employers across the UK who are committed to paying their workers the real Living Wage.
These organisations employ over half a million people and, through their accreditation with the Living Wage Foundation, have uplifted the pay of over 50,000 low paid workers.
Citizens UK and The Living Wage Foundation have led the campaign for a real Living Wage for Social Care, calling on the Government in England to ensure all social care workers are paid at least the real Living Wage for all hours worked, including in-work travel time and sleep-in shifts, by putting in place sufficient funding, delivery mechanisms and guidance for Local Authorities.
Government in Scotland and Wales have committed to a real Living Wage for care workers, with Northern Ireland being the latest to join them although this is yet to be implemented.
The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated based on what people need to live on. It currently stands at £12.60 (UK) and £13.85 (London).
Nkem Okoli, a care worker and Citizens UK leader, said: “I went in to care because I am an empathetic person. I always try to put myself in other people’s shoes. I would love to see my passion for my work reflected in my pay. I have poured my heart and soul into my work, taking every opportunity to improve my skills; doing many overtime shifts to add to my income.
Taking care of someone else’s family is rewarding, but I also need to take care of my own. A real living wage means I could spend more time with my children and feel less guilty. I could work the right number of hours and give my all to my job.”
Brian Whittaker, People & OD Director for Brunelcare, said: “Six years ago, like most employers in the care sector, Brunelcare was struggling to recruit and retain teams operating over a range of care settings. We launched our People Strategy in 2020 covering a range of activities and initiatives seeking to improve our employee engagement.
Core to this was our commitment to become a Real Living Wage employer. Since March 2020 our lowest paid colleagues have had a 46% pay increase. As a result of this and other improvements, our employee turnover is now around 20% (it was over 35%), our retention is now 80%+ (it was below 70%) and we have had less than 20 vacant positions at any stage in each of the last four months. In 2022 we had 150 vacancies across the charity.
“Being a Real Living Wage employer is not a cost; it is an investment. Improvements in stability, productivity and less use of agency staff has delivered a significant improvement in our financial results across all areas plus we are now able to focus on ‘added value’ activities to aid retention rather than a relentless focus on recruitment. In our 2024 colleague survey, 84% of respondents would recommend Brunelcare as a good place to work.”
Matthew Bolton, Executive Director of Citizens UK, said: “Care workers, like all workers, deserve to be paid at least the real Living Wage. The work they do is vital and skilled, yet so many care workers are being paid poverty wages that barely allow them to survive, let alone live. We know that it doesn’t have to be this way.
“Whilst we’re calling on Government in England to ensure care workers are given the dignity of a real Living Wage, we’re also urging employers to do the right thing by accrediting with the Living Wage Foundation. Over 1000 health and social care employers have already made this commitment, and we know more businesses can step up and join them.”
