Received from: GMB
Congress believes:
i. Social care work provides dignity, independence and respect to those in need of care and support.
ii. Social care is currently in a crisis of fragmentation and privatisation.
iii. There has been a deplorable race to the bottom in employment standards, with a third of care workers employed on zero-hours contracts, and widespread noncompliance with minimum wage legislation.
iv. Cuts have increased pressure on the NHS, other public services and families.
v. Integration with the NHS requires comparable pay, conditions and
professional standing.
vi. Care must feature within the UK’s industrial strategy and we recognise its
importance to wider society and the economy.
Congress notes that the GMB:
a. has spent the last decade securing and improving recognition agreements with employers operating across social care
b. is campaigning for members in social care through the Go Public campaign and is sponsoring the APPG for Social Care
c. is the first union to champion sectoral bargaining for social care and has won
support from major employers.
A Survation poll for GMB showed 83 per cent of the public agree that care work is highly skilled and increasingly complex and the pay for this work should reflect this.
Congress resolves to:
1. support GMB’s efforts in securing sectoral bargaining for social care
2. back the GMB Go Public campaign striving to achieve pay justice for care
workers and parity with AFC NHS workers on pay and skills
3. support GMB’s efforts to fully fund the care sector and calls for its integration with health.
GMB
AMENDMENT
- In sub-paragraph ii. after “privatisation” add:
“, with our biggest care home operator paying £48.5m to shareholders in two years but no corporation tax” - In paragraph 4., sub-paragraph 1., replace all from “GMB’s” to “care” with:
“TUC work to develop the union movement’s position on sector bargaining” - Add a final new sub-paragraph:
“4. back UNISON’s widely supported Ethical Care Charter, which commits
councils to standards that protect service users and care workers.”
UNISON