Citizens UK community leaders, including care workers and care recipients gathered outside Four Seasons Health Care headquarters in Cheshire to call on the care provider to commit to paying their workers the real Living Wage.
At the headquarters, a coalition of community leaders across Greater Manchester and Lancashire delivered four seasons’ pizzas with a slice missing to signify the lack of a real Living Wage.
This is part of a collective action around the country targeting major care providers headquarters today, including Bupa and Barchester Healthcare in London; HC-One in Darlington; and Care UK in Colchester.
As the five biggest care providers in the UK, they operate over 1000 care homes across the country but are not accredited Living Wage employers,with some staff being paid less than the real Living Wage.
Earlier this year Greater Manchester Citizens, a chapter of Citizens UK, campaigned for care provider Anchor Hannover to commit to paying their care workers across the country the real Living Wage. They did commit – meaning a £19m pay rise for thousands of care workers who were previously on the National Minimum Wage (NMW).
Over 250 care providers have become accredited Living Wage Employers in the last two years. Whilst this is step in the right direction,the cost of living crisis has meant that more care sector workers are struggling with necessities like heating or eating.
Jessie, a care worker from Preston and Citizens UK leader said:
“Low pay has a detrimental effect on my life. I often had to borrow money from family to cover the cost of things like school trips for my children. It was difficult to justify paying for these when I struggled to pay the rent or the bills and at times got into arrears. There was nothing spare – either time or money – for us to be able to spend quality time as a family.
“I love the work I do but doing the job you love shouldn’t put so much stress and strain on your own personal life and relationships. I spend long shifts
caring for people and ensuring that they live a life with dignity and respect, but it’s simply not right that my colleagues and I have to rely on family or friends and visit foodbanks to live.
Rev Ian Rutherford at Methodist Central Hall Manchester and a Citizens UK leader said:
“Dignity at work is massively important to me – and every worker deserves this. Care workers are caring for society’s most vulnerable yet cannot afford to cover basics like energy bills – it’s simply not right. Appreciation for their vital roles in society
need to be shown not just through gestures, but through being paid the real Living Wage.
“The cost of living crisis has only made this more urgent, and many care workers I know are choosing between necessities like heating or eating. The
situation is at crisis point – we need change. Large care providers must step up and lead the way in accrediting as real Living Wage Employers.”
Hamayoun, a Citizens UK leader from Manchester and Cheadle Mosque volunteer, said:
“Everyone deserves a real Living Wage to take care of themselves and their families. Cheadle Mosque has become the first mosque in the UK to accredit with the Living Wage Foundation. By giving those who work here a real Living Wage, it’s showing them appreciationand respect. If we can take that step to pay workers the real Living Wage – all organisations and businesses can.
“We see care workers in our community struggling to get by on poverty pay. Major care providers with millions in profit each year should be leading the way and accrediting with the Living Wage Foundation. It’s simply not right that those who care for the most vulnerable people in our society cannot afford to take care of themselves.”
A Four Seasons Health Care Spokesperson said:
“Four Seasons Health Care fully understands the financial pressures caused by the rising cost of living. We constantly keep our pay levels under review and are currently implementing a large number of site specific, off-cycle pay increases for frontline colleagues in addition to our annual pay award. We also have a recognition agreement with three national trade unions and regularly consult with them on a range of matters, including pay. We’ve previously announced that the business has entered a sale process. Until that process is complete, regretfully we are unable to make further commitments relating to salary.”
