King's speech and care worker pay
The Government have published background notes on yesterday's King's speech which are available here: background briefing
In it, the briefing sets out that the new Employment Bill intends to:
- ban exploitative zero-hour contracts
- end ‘Fire and Rehire’ and ‘Fire and Replace’
- make parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal available from day 1 on the job for all workers, whilst not affecting probationary periods
- strengthen Statutory Sick Pay by removing the lower earnings limit to make it available to all workers as well as the waiting period.
- right to request flexible working from day one
- strengthen protections for new mothers by making it unlawful to dismiss a woman who has had a baby for six months after her return to work, except in specific circumstances.
- establish a new Single Enforcement Body, also known as a Fair Work Agency
- establish a Fair Pay Agreement in the adult social care sector
- reinstate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body
- update trade union legislation
- simplify the process of statutory recognition and introduce a regulated route to ensure workers and union members have a reasonable right to access a union within workplaces
You can read our initial response to the King's Speech here: King's Speech promises workers' rights and training, but fails to address the affordability for social care (homecareassociation.org.uk)
The Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation have also published a report considering policy options to improve careworker pay in England. The report concludes:
- A more comprehensive and targeted approach to pay is needed in social care
- Stronger enforcement of the statutory, economy-wide minimum wage should be an immediate priority
- All options will require additional funding to introduce a new pay rate, enforce it and evaluate it
- Long-term success will depend on sustained political will
- Pay is only one piece of the puzzle
You can read the full report here.
