UNITE Opinion BY PAM LAURANCE


SOAPBOX Your letters Excellent publication


Care workers travelling light?


A few months ago we found out something that many other people seem to have known for ages: that paid domestic carers are usually paid around the minimum wage, but many of them are not paid at all while travelling between clients – which seems ridiculous.


It means that if you count up the hours that they are necessarily occupied on their employer’s business their actual wage is way below the minimum wage.


A recent article in the Guardian reported that care workers lose out with it not being uncommon to be only paid “per minute actually spent with clients, not the travel time between them. Dozens of these work- related journeys could be made each week – it’s a core part of the job. Not being paid for this time means those who care don’t get paid for a full day’s work.”


A friend who works as a health and safety adviser said she can't see how it can be legal since the employer is responsible for their health and safety while they are travelling.


We checked with a carer who was working with a relative of ours and who works for a large care agency used by many local authorities. She confirmed that this was the situation for her.


We suggested that she join Unite and sent her details. We wondered if this is legal? And if it is, should it be? And what can be done? It surely can’t be right for care workers to receive less than the minimum wage because they have to travel.


If other Unite colleagues want to read the recent article about this in the Guardian, visit www.guardian.co.uk


Views expressed in letters and Soapbox are those of the individual and not necessarily endorsed by Unite.


OVER TO YOU:Why not send us your views for Your letters or Soapbox?Write to us at uniteWORKS, Unite, 128 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8TN or email uniteworks@unitetheunion.org


I recently obtained a copy of the Unite Professional Drivers Handbook. What an excellent publication this is, full of interesting informative and legal information as well as a substantial amount of practical guidance for many potential situations that may arise during a professional drivers work.


This book is surely a ‘must’ for every Unite member who drives for a living. S A Smith, Birmingham


Too cheap


I was employed at a successful French-owned foundry. The French management decided one of their many foundries had to close. Would it be the French one, which was already struggling with poor productivity and the redundancy payments would equal two years’ salary for everyone?


Or maybe the Welsh one, which was achieving good productivity and the average redundancy payments would be less than a years pay? You've guessed it, the Welsh one . The moral of the story; MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT CHEAP TO GET RID OF!!


Chris Hale, Risca, South Wales Too long, too late


68 is too long to work – and it’s too late to retire. I am now 64 and totally agree with Unite’s campaign against this stupid idea of working longer. I served in the British Army of the Rhine as an army nurse, then worked in hospitals up and down the country, wherever my soldier husband was posted.


My last job was as a phlebotomist in my local general hospital until I was diagnosed with MS. I did persuade my husband to retire a year early at 64 as I knew that I would get worse. I was brought up in Lancashire cotton mill country, where workers were always treated badly before unions. I am still a retired member of Unite, and think it’s necessary to be in a union.


Kathryn Roberts, by email See page 20 JIB news


Could you let me know the latest news concerning the JIB? I’ve not had a wage rise in three years.


Lee Ross, by email


National apprenticeship officerRichard Clarke replies to Lee and all in his situation: A formal announcement on the current situation with the JIB and SJIB pay negotiations from the Unite negotiating team has now been posted onto the industry news section of the construction sector pages on the Unite website, and can be viewed by following this link: www.unitetheunion.org/sectors/construction/industry_news/ An information flyer will also soon be available to stewards and electronically on the website’s construction industry news pages. Please check web pages regularly for updates as the situation unfolds.


31 uniteWORKS July/August 2012


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