24 July (Part 2) - Relief in sight?
In
March this year I was able to speak to several of Bexley’s
domiciliary care workers and was shocked to hear the conditions under which they
are forced to work. Minimum pay, no pay at all for the travelling time between
jobs and pay their own expenses for travelling to Bexley’s sick and needy clients. I had heard
councillor Chris Taylor, Bexley’s cabinet member for Adult Services bragging at too many
meetings that Bexley paid its contractors less than any other nearby borough and the plight
of the people at the sharp end was no concern of his.
Since then the issue has escalated quite nicely through Parliament and this
afternoon the Greater London Assembly.
A motion by LibDem Assembly Member Stephen Knight proposed…
A full day’s work deserves a full day’s pay, and it’s totally unacceptable that
some care workers are not being paid for travelling between appointments,
effectively reducing them to a life below the national minimum wage. The Mayor
must speak out about the low pay endemic in the care system. Councils across
London - and across the political spectrum - could and should do more to tackle
this blatant and cynical exploitation.
The motion was carried 13:6. Will this prove to be more guidance that Bexley council chooses to ignore?
The GLA
debate may be viewed on line. See London Assembly (Plenary), Wed 24 July. About 2 hours and 15 minutes into the video.