Your Choice Care Workers Campaign update 17 March 2013
This campaign concerns the plight of low paid social care workers facing a massive cut to their pay and terms & conditions. The scale of the attack is unprecedented and will drive already low paid workers further into poverty.
But it is not just the attacks to staff which are our concern, it is the impact this will have on the service delivery to vulnerable adults with disabilities.
UNISON is concerned that by ‘dumbing down’ care work will impact on quality of care as we have seen in the past at the private Winterbourne hospital where profit was put before care of residents.
‘Your Choice’ care workers are carrying out critical and personal care for vulnerable service users; which makes it all the more abhorrent to hear the case for these cuts is driven by the need to make a profit.
At a meeting with staff last week, it now appears the finances are worse that we were first led to believe. Apart from the £1million loan from Barnet Homes, they now need to make another £1million from staff costs. This makes a total of £2million out of a budget of £6million.
UNISON is campaigning to bring these critical services back into the Council. The more we learn about the finances the more concerned we are. Instead of Barnet Homes spending their reserves on propping up a failed One Barnet project, they should use this money to try and prevent Barnet residents and their families from being moved out of the borough.
Last year the Council made a commitment in their own business case which said if the project failed they would bring it back in house.
Please help
1. Sign the Your Choice Care Workers Campaign petition which is on Barnet Council website
http://petitions.barnet.gov.uk/YourChoiceBack/
2. Send messages of support to Your Choice Care Workers Campaign to contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
3. Join the Your Choice Care Workers on BarnetSpring march on Saturday 23, 11am Finchley Central Tube
Links
Castlebeck care homes go into administration following abuse scandal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21674695
Southern Cross set to shut down and stop running homes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14102750
Lessons from the Francis Inquiry