…to wonder wtf would happen if *all* carers decided to strike?!

[NellesVilla]

Seriously, so many sectors seem to have pay issues and staff wanting to strike for this, left, right and centre. Unison is the latest.

Carers are generally paid poorly for a huge amount of responsibility and hassle in their day to day shifts. I know; I’ve been one and now work in another role in the sector.

What happens if they decide £10 an hour is not enough, demand say £12 an hour and get a no, then threaten to strike like all these other workers? What then?

And before anyone goes, well carers are nice people who care about their clients and wouldn’t do that. Well, why not, when seemingly everyone else is? Why shouldn't they demand more money? What happens if they just- for once- take action?

Sad to think that even if they get up to £12 an hour, it’s still not a great salary isn’t it?

I dread to think but we're on the brink of it.

Absolute chaos and probably loss of life.

Employers and the government (unpaid carers save the government god knows how many millions every year) rely on the fact carers would not strike.

I've often said people on carers allowance should agree a day to all take any adults they care for to their nearest social services office and leave them there and the complete chaos and sudden huge costs would have the government increasing carers allowance to the living wage!

Of course again that's not something we would actually do. And they know it.

So things will never change for either employed carers of family carers on carers allowance.

We have the power to force the government to pay us fairly but we care too much to ever use that power.

It would be bedlam. Low-paid carers and family carers save the country an eye-watering amount of money. The cost of care is astronomical. I was a SW and worked with carers. I was paid more than them and have no doubt they could have done my job better than I could do theirs.

Striking though? They'd all be treated as essential and told to work anyway. People would die if they didn't work.

I just couldn't do it! Even if they could cover us all with agency staff, the residents wouldn't be given the care they need by strangers! Morally I couldn't, although very tempting sometimes because we work extremely hard for little pay

I've often said people on carers allowance should agree a day to all take any adults they care for to their nearest social services office and leave them there and the complete chaos and sudden huge costs would have the government increasing carers allowance to the living wage!

Much better to take them to the Houses of Parliament. The SS staff are well aware of what carers do and how they should be treated.

I think the sad truth is that anyone who doesn’t have a family member in care,
or working in care, is not all that bothered.

If we're talking about "all carers" what about the family carers who are either completely unpaid or get the grand total of £67/week carers allowance for a minimum of 35hrs, with many doing the caring 24/7.
Could you imagine if we said, nope not doing it anymore

www.gov.uk/government/news/new-law-in-place-to-allow-businesses-to-hire-agency-workers-to-plug-staffing-gaps-caused-by-strike-action

Thing about that career is that you can't strike. You can hardly afford to miss a day or an hour's work. You're living on the breadline when you make that and work those hours. I did it myself, I know how hard it is and that you can't live off the wage.

So they can't strike because they couldn't lose the pay. So this sector is the best to use for leverage, always impose upon them first because they can't fight back.

Carers allowance should be increased to atleast £332 per week as to get it you have to do 35+ hours a week of carring

This.

Carers Allowance - £69.70 p/wk if you meet the qualifying criteria.

Over 35hrs p/wk - £1.99 p/hr.

Over 24/7, aka reality for many family carers - 41p p/hr.

Forty one FUCKING pence an hour in exchange for giving up your time, your career, your social life, and - quite often - your own health both physical and mental. It seriously boils me.

To add insult to injury, you can only claim one allotment of Carers Allowance no matter how many people you care for and its taxable so is taken into account as income when trying to access benefits, grants, or other services.

Meanwhile the government save approximately £132 billion a year in social care costs from this system, enough to set up and fund a second NHS.

It should be set at an amount that reflects the commitment involved and that affords at least a basic standard of living to those claiming it.

I wish @MNHQ would take this up as a campaign to increase the amount as its an issue predominantly affecting women, the majority of carers are female.

lickenchugget · Today 19:19
I think the sad truth is that anyone who doesn’t have a family member in care,
or working in care, is not all that bothered.

Absolutely.

In my local authority and two neighbouring local authorities that I'm aware of there have been times during the pandemic where there have been so few carers available locally that other council members of staff have been hurriedly trained in basic care and have been doing shifts in care homes etc just to keep things afloat on a temporary basis.

Often very senior members of staff in completely unrelated departments have had to cover care shifts or go and do meal delivery care visits.

care isn't on the brink of collapse it has already collapsed.

And totally agree with you, @firef1y and @FarmerRefuted.

I am referring to all types of carers. The country would be in its knees without them.

Given the shortage in the sector it appears to me that quite a few have said fuck this and gone off looking for more money/better work conditions

on its knees, not in

Correct, @OneTC. I did care during the pandemic (and as a student) and the low pay, coupled with so much responsibility and accountability for everything made me run for the hills.

I also hurt my back and shoulders and the company didn’t give a toss. They are happy for you to injure yourself and then blame you!

I'm a carer in a care home and we have an outbreak of covid. The local hospitals are so full that we have been told that we have to accept covid positive patients otherwise we risk losing the contract with them to provide rehabilitation and assessment beds, we are drowning as it is. I tried to argue against it for the safety of our other residents and the staff and I was told that if I feel that unsafe I should find a new job and I could catch it on a bus. All for £10 an hour. I am looking for a new job and I am a damn good carer who has worked there for three years.

Oh and we won't be paid if we catch it apart from statutory sick pay.

What if those of us who get £69 a week went on strike. The social care sector would not cope. Those of us on carer's allowance are invisible

Get out while you can, @thestateofit - I’d never normally advocate this but f that- if they don’t care about their carers’ health and well-being, you need to think with your feet sadly.

I'm a carer in a care home and we have an outbreak of covid. The local hospitals are so full that we have been told that we have to accept covid positive patients otherwise we risk losing the contract with them to provide rehabilitation and assessment beds, we are drowning as it is. I tried to argue against it for the safety of our other residents and the staff and I was told that if I feel that unsafe I should find a new job and I could catch it on a bus. All for £10 an hour. I am looking for a new job and I am a damn good carer who has worked there for three years

Sadly my friend who is a carer has had the same experience, except they were told by the council that if they didn’t comply they would shut them down.

Reviving this old thread as i feel it could really be a possibility soon . Im saying this as a care worker myself currently working 55hrs a week slogging my guts out for peanuts .