to think I should be paid

[Myrandomfamily]

I work 4 hour shifts but these involve driving.

I don't get paid for the time I spend driving. So in a 4 hour shift I am only working for 3 and a half hours.

Aibu

This seem grossly unfair op.
I work in the community and our staff are paid mileage and for trips between clients. They are paid for the hours from their first client's home till their last. That includes bank workers.

Mt sister works for a company where if the client cancels the visit or isn't available then she only gets paid for half the time.

I know jobs aren't easy to come by but I would seriously be looking for another job.

Good luck

Shockingly (well, not) unfair and crap. Presumably the company you work for delivers under a contract - from a local authority or CCG? That's the organisation who need to come under pressure. They you lent award contracts to companies with these practices. The Living Wage campaign has had success with this approach on pay, but we need something similar for conditions.

Sympathy, OP.

They you lent = they shouldn't

According to this
www.communitycare.co.uk/2013/03/19/non-payment-of-travel-time-for-care-workers-breaks-minimum-wage-laws/
HMRC had confirmed the non-payment of travel time breaks minimum wage laws

I work in domiciliary care too, we do get paid travel time but not much (nowhere near our usual hourly wage) but it all adds up i guess.

I have a friend who's a qualified social worker. He was on a temporary contract, but was in an accident and had to take 6 months off work.

anyway, he now works as a care assistant, working 5 days a week. He works 7.30 till 11.30, then 4.30 till 8.30 very day. He has to see a certain number of clients within this time, and if it takes longer, then tough. Also the clients don't seem to be in any logical order. You would think that if you had 2 clients reasonably near each other, that you would be able to visit client a, then client b? No, of course not. He has to travel to the other side of the city, then go back again. He can't afford to run a car, so he cycles. He is very fit, but knackered most of the time.

It's absolute pants the way employers treat staff, and how zero hours contracts work.

If they're giving you 10 people in a 4 hour shift and suggesting that includes travel time then they are clearly doing it wrong. Is there a union you can join?

Think it is shitty - YANBU but don't think there's much you can do about it

Having used a care agency for someone this year I've seen how ridiculous it is. Set contact times to do tasks that take far longer than the allocated slot. Carers coming in a zooming round like a whirling dervish just to get everything done (not always succeeding) and trying to get to the next one on time. Seems awful for all concerned. Can't believe you're not paid for inbetween travel too.

Op do you stay the full time with your clients? My experience with home carers is that they often don't so you could argue that this is also not fair.

We only get around 15 mins per person usually so yes of course. Sometimes people don't want you to stay the full time but then I still lose as it's contact time only (have to log in and out using a phone.)

It's totally shit but is not uncommon in the care sector. I think it's total bullshit that they are only paid for the actual visit time not the time spent going between each client.

Ah ok - the company I worked for paid the full time regardless!

If the job requires travel as part of the job, they need to pay you for it or at least reimburse you for gas and mileage.

This is why home carers are always leaving and there are always vacancies. I have done exactly this job and gave it up for exactly this reason very quickly.

Interesting article above, wonder if the 'illegality' that's quoted is accurate, but you could phone the HMRC minimum wage helpline and ask, would be interested to know their stance. They prosecute employers who break minimum wage laws.

So, if I think this is shit, and want to do my tiny bit to check whether this is being done by my local CCG, how could I do this? Email local MP the link above & ask him to back it?

As it's clearly not something that can be resolved by care workers themselves (they leave, they get replaced, nothing changes), then surely it's up to us to say we don't think this is a civilised way to treat people?

www.gov.uk/government/news/care-sector-abuse-of-minimum-wage-rules this is interesting!

This is what the Doncaster Care UK workers are striking about.
Are you in a trade union?

No, I probably will leave soon to be honest but it's a shame. The people are so nice.

I just got in, I've been on since 6:30

So it's basically like having lots of small jobs. I think it is out of order not to pay you to travel to clients.