Domiciliary care provider Lifeways has scrapped plans to end top-up payments for sleep-in shifts.
Union Unison put Lifeways under pressure as soon as it announced it would end top-up payments and the U-turn will potentially save care workers thousands of pounds.
Unison, based in Swinton, is the largest trade union in Salford with over 4000 members.
Branch secretary Steven North said:
“I think it’s a national disgrace.”
Melissa Thomas has been a support worker for learning difficulties for seven and a half years. Ms Thomas, who now works at Lifeways, said: “I wanted a job with potential to progress and climb the ladder in profession, and also I wanted it to be rewarding.”
Challenges
She added: “For several years I really enjoyed my job, I still do but I now feel drained with the constant changes….Myself and many more would have quit if unison didn’t stop the sleep-in payments going down.”
Faced with the question, would she quit? Ms Thomas said: “I do build a rapport with my clients and I would still do my job, but if I was getting nowhere I would quit.
“Companies use this against us, they use our care for the clients against us, they know we care so they think we won’t quit’.
She explained that people leaving could become a growing issue. She added: “The entire system will collapse if carers have had enough, ask anyone this question.
“Staff are going to leave and no new staff will come through and if they do they wont last long, they never do.”
Mr North said: “We’re telling workers to join the union, get involved and what we achieved for the workers at Lifeways we can achieve for anybody.”
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