Latest news with #ChristinaMcAnea
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Carers need a £2,000 a year pay hike to end 'national scandal', report says
A new report by the Fabian Society urges ministers to put £1.5billion aside to bring carer salaries in line with the NHS and end the recruitment crisis facing the sector Ministers should put cash aside to give more than half a million care workers a £2,000 pay rise, a report rules today. The Fabian Society says the move is needed to tackle the "national scandal" in social care. Its report calls for the minimum wage in social care to be brought in line with the NHS. Trade union Unison has supported the demand, which would cost £1.5billion. There are estimated to be around 120,000 vacancies in England, while last week the Government announced it would be axing social care visas, meaning businesses will need to recruit from the UK. Joe Dromey, general secretary of the Fabian Society and co-author of the report, said: "The treatment of the social care workforce is a national scandal. Care workers deliver vital support, yet they face poverty pay, chronic insecurity, and have few opportunities for progression." And Christina McAnea, Unison general secretary, said: 'Raising wages in care is the first step to turning around this beleaguered sector." She added: "Care work is highly skilled, as anyone with a relative in care knows only too well. But it's paid as if it's a low-skilled job. "That's why too few people want to work in the sector and employers have become so dependent on staff from overseas." Keir Starmer has said ministers are drawing up a plan to tackle the crisis in the sector after closing the door to overseas care workers. The PM, whose sister is a carer, has previously stated he is committed to tackling the crisis, but faces pressure to act quickly. The Fabian Society says a £13.17 an hour minimum wage is needed for 600,000 low-paid care staff. And it estimates that by making salaries similar to healthcare assistants in the NHS, an extra 90,000 workers could be attracted to the sector. The report, titled Seizing The Opportunity also suggests 27,000 fewer staff would quit each year. This would lead to an improvement in care standards, the report argues.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Labour axing care worker visa will put services at risk, say unions and care leaders
Unions and care providers have accused the government of putting services at risk after it confirmed plans to shut down the overseas care worker visa route. The long-awaited immigration white paper, to be published on Monday, includes measures to ban new recruitment from abroad for care roles, as part of a wider effort to reduce legal migration and prioritise UK-based workers. The decision has triggered an angry backlash from industry leaders and trade unions, who say the sector is already stretched to breaking point and still relies heavily on international staff to keep services running. Prof Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, said the government was 'kicking us while we're already down'. 'For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs, and mounting vacancies,' he said. 'International recruitment wasn't a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline. Taking it away now, with no warning, no funding, and no alternative, is not just shortsighted – it's cruel.' Related: MPs warn social care needs substantial investment to fix 'broken' system Unison, the UK's biggest union representing health and care workers, also criticised the decision and called for urgent clarity on what the changes meant for those already working in the UK. Christina McAnea, Unison's general secretary, said: 'The NHS and the care sector would have collapsed long ago without the thousands of workers who've come to the UK from overseas. 'Migrant health and care staff already here will now be understandably anxious about what's to happen to them. The government must reassure these overseas workers they'll be allowed to stay and continue with their indispensable work.' She urged ministers to stop describing care jobs as 'low skilled' and said the government must 'get on with making its fair pay agreement a reality'. In 2023, more than 58,000 overseas care workers came to the UK on skilled worker visas – nearly half of all new entrants to the social care workforce. Labour has defended the policy as part of a wider reset of the immigration system, aimed at reducing reliance on overseas labour and investing in the domestic workforce. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, defended the policy during an interview on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. She argued employers should recruit from the existing pool of care workers already in the UK, including those who arrived on visas but were never placed in roles. 'They can also extend existing visas. They could recruit as well from people who are on other visas who are already here,' she said. 'But we do think it's time to end that care worker recruitment.'
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Labour axing care worker visa will put services at risk, say unions and care leaders
Unions and care providers have accused the government of putting services at risk after it confirmed plans to shut down the overseas care worker visa route. The long-awaited immigration white paper, to be published on Monday, includes measures to ban new recruitment from abroad for care roles, as part of a wider effort to reduce legal migration and prioritise UK-based workers. The decision has triggered an angry backlash from industry leaders and trade unions, who say the sector is already stretched to breaking point and still relies heavily on international staff to keep services running. Prof Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, said the government was 'kicking us while we're already down'. 'For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs, and mounting vacancies,' he said. 'International recruitment wasn't a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline. Taking it away now, with no warning, no funding, and no alternative, is not just shortsighted – it's cruel.' Unison, the UK's biggest union representing health and care workers, also criticised the decision and called for urgent clarity on what the changes meant for those already working in the UK. Christina McAnea, Unison's general secretary, said: 'The NHS and the care sector would have collapsed long ago without the thousands of workers who've come to the UK from overseas. 'Migrant health and care staff already here will now be understandably anxious about what's to happen to them. The government must reassure these overseas workers they'll be allowed to stay and continue with their indispensable work.' She urged ministers to stop describing care jobs as 'low skilled' and said the government must 'get on with making its fair pay agreement a reality'. In 2023, more than 58,000 overseas care workers came to the UK on skilled worker visas – nearly half of all new entrants to the social care workforce. Labour has defended the policy as part of a wider reset of the immigration system, aimed at reducing reliance on overseas labour and investing in the domestic workforce. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, defended the policy during an interview on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. She argued employers should recruit from the existing pool of care workers already in the UK, including those who arrived on visas but were never placed in roles. 'They can also extend existing visas. They could recruit as well from people who are on other visas who are already here,' she said. 'But we do think it's time to end that care worker recruitment.'
Western Telegraph
03-05-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Union chief urges staff at Reform UK-controlled councils to sign up
Mr Farage has warned council staff working on diversity or climate change initiatives to seek 'alternative careers' after Reform UK took control of Durham council. The Clacton MP's party made major gains in the local elections, picking up 10 councils and more than 600 seats in Thursday's poll. Christina McAnea called for council workers to sign up to the union (Liam McBurney/PA) Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: 'Unions are there to ensure no one can play fast and loose with the law. 'Any staff working for councils now controlled by Reform, and who aren't yet members, should sign up so they can be protected too.' Mr Farage has said he wants a British equivalent of Doge – referring to the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency, which is slashing government spending in the US, in every council. He said he would advise anyone working on climate change or diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be 'seeking alternative careers very, very quickly', in a speech in Durham on Friday. 'We want to give council taxpayers better value for money. We want to reduce excessive expenditure,' he said. On Saturday, a newly elected Reform UK councillor said Durham County Council would be 'getting the auditors in' right away to slash spending in areas like net zero and green initiatives. Darren Grimes said that Reform would be 'getting the auditors in' following his election to Durham council (Dominic Lipinski/PA) 'We're getting the auditors in to see … actually what those jobs are, and if they're good value for money, and if they're not, well, the answer is, 'Yeah, goodbye',' Darren Grimes, a Durham councillor and former GB News presenter told the Today programme. Ms McAnea said: 'This is not the US. Thankfully, workers in the UK have laws to protect them from bad employers. 'And soon employees will get even more protection from unscrupulous bosses when the government's new employment rights come in.' She said the new Reform UK councillors have 'much to learn about local government' and will 'quickly discover there's nothing left to cut and many authorities are balancing on the edge of the financial precipice.' 'Most local authorities would love to be doing their core work, as Mr Farage says. But they simply don't have the staff nor the resources to do even that.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital staff strike in dispute over back pay
Dozens of hospital staff took part in strike action in a dispute over back pay for healthcare assistants in Nottingham. UNISON union said the dispute was down to band 2 staff taking on greater responsibilities without being paid the difference. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) agreed to pay workers back pay from August 2021 to August 2024. But this deal was rejected by UNISON members, who said healthcare assistants were taking on more responsibilities right through the Covid-19 pandemic. Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON, told the BBC: "What's happened in this trust is that they have been getting paid less than they should have been for years." Staff walked out on Thursday and plan another day of action on Friday. Further strikes are planned for 17, 22 and 28 April. In a recent ballot, 94% of UNISON members at Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) and City Hospital backed strike action. The union said, according to NHS guidance, healthcare assistants on band 2 salaries should only be providing personal care, such as bathing and feeding patients. But it added most of its healthcare assistants had routinely undertaken clinical tasks such as taking blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas. Hospital bosses have outlined proposals of a back pay deal from August 2021 to August 2024 - which the union is contesting. The trust said it believed the deal was a "fair and reasonable offer" - and this had been "accepted by four of the five" unions which represented the workforce. Ms McAnea said: "This is about demonstrating that staff are entitled to be paid for all the jobs and work that they do. "We are saying [the back pay deal] is that is not long enough - they were doing higher level jobs, certainly through Covid, and the trust has to recognise that, and they are denying that. "That has really angered people here because they were holding the hands of dying patients every day, giving them intimate personal care." Tracy Pilcher, chief nurse at NUH, urged people to attend appointments as normal. "Our healthcare support workers are a vital and valuable group of colleagues," she said. "Our hospitals could not run without their skill and dedication to our patients. "We believe that this is a fair and reasonable offer, and this has been accepted by four of the five unions who represent the workforce. I am sorry that we could not reach a resolution with UNISON. "During the strike action, the safety of our patients and staff remains our top priority. Our teams have developed robust plans to mitigate the impact on our services." Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Healthcare staff back plans over strike action Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust UNISON
