GMB has won day one sick pay for 19,000 care workers.
Carers working for HC-One – the UK’s biggest care provider – have accepted a pay deal that gives them the contractual right to at least Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from day one of any absence.
Prior to this deal, carers would not get paid for their first three days of sickness – creating a perverse incentive for workers to spread germs among the elderly people they care for.
The deal comes after a GMB survey of HC-One care workers revealed one in four were considering quitting over ‘poverty pay’.
Natalie Grayson, GMB National Officer, said:
“For anyone worker to take a financial hit because they are poorly is disgraceful.
“But for the care sector, it’s sickening – and worse, it’s dangerous to our loved ones that we expect them to care for.
“Day one sick pay is the very least care sector workers deserve – yet across the UK carers are forced to survive without out.
“This is a massive win for GMB members – it represents a landmark shift in culture for the entire care sector.
“But GMB won’t stop here: we will not stop fighting until these dedicated professionals are paid at least £15 an hour.”
