After the Night Shift
"I'm a Care Worker in Wales and have just come off my night shift from the care home. I’ve been back on the frontline after several weeks ill with Covid-19. It is a tough job, made even tougher because hundreds of thousands of care sector staff like me do it on the minimum wage and on zero hour contracts. Back in April when I was ill it was really hard. I had to rely on food donations to get through the month. I care for our residents, but it is so demoralising when the pay is so low. As the Government forms new plans to help sectors hit by Covid-19, let's convert the doorstep clapping for key workers into a positive change! We don’t ask for pity, we just ask for a Living Wage and reliable hours. Not just to work to survive but to live and thrive.
We are petitioning the government and the Chancellor to raise the pay of care sector staff – over half of whom are below the real Living Wage*
By standing with me, Citizens UK and hundreds of other care workers you can make a big difference.
Yours, Tabitha"
*The real Living Wage - not to be confused with the Government's lower 'National Living Wage' is set by independent experts to meet the real cost of living. It is currently £9.30 an hour UK wide and £10.75 in London.
I don’t personally know Tabitha, I have met her on zoom, while listening to stories of carers and their situation across the country. I listened, as did so many others, because after the clapping we wanted to do more, a theme that has come up in many conversations in our community. We have been partnering with community organisations in Tottenham to give food solidarity for over 14 weeks, and this solidarity, in the shape of rice, pasta, beans etc, is very important as it alleviates an urgent need. And we are continuing with it.
When you are confronted with a burning house you first quench the flames, which is what the food solidarity is helping with. But once the initial flames are out, the next step should be to fireproof the house, so that it won’t happen again. And that fireproofing is what a real Living Wage for Carers is about.
Lockdown has uncovered disturbing fault lines in our society and economy, but has also shone a light on the strength and determination of sectors of the economy that very rarely have a voice. Proper pay for carers is not just about tackling poverty, it’s also about systemic inequality in a sector that to a large extent consists of BAME workers, and of those many are women. Asking your MP to sign this Charter and influence the government to provide the £1.4 billion extra investment needed to fund a Real Living Wage for Care Workers, is a practical way that we can act to help those who help us and our elderly relatives.
Tabitha, and carers like her are asking us to act, to spend a few minutes this weekend and email our MPs. Will you spread the word to your MP, your family and friends? You can find the Charter here and an email template, but please remember to add a personal note to your email, as it means the MP is more likely to read it. Ask your MP to support a real Living Wage for Careworkers
Below you will also find a template you can use to write to your friends and family.
There's a Jewish wisdom saying ‘A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness’. We’re emerging from the darkest days of the pandemic, let’s not forget those who kept the light shining in all the darkness, despite the danger to themselves.