I welcome the comments from the chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board indicating that she thinks care workers in Brighton and Hove are underpaid.
Councillor Clare Moonan must now back these words up with action and address a discriminatory council pay policy that adversely affects care workers in the city.
At last week’s Special Policy and Resources Committee meeting, Councillor Moonan lamented that the care sector was in a fragile state.
She said: “We have some of the lowest-paid staff doing some of the most difficult jobs with the most vulnerable people in society. It’s no wonder it’s fragile.”
She spoke about this subject shortly after the trade union Unison accused Brighton and Hove City Council’s Labour administration of propagating a discriminatory employment policy that favours some key workers over others to the detriment of care workers.
The trade union said that the Labour administration’s “resident service guarantee”, which comprises a bonus for working on bank holidays, is paid to Cityclean workers but not to care workers employed by the council.
Unison has called for this payment to be extended to all council-employed workers in the city.
The council has yet to address this.
Unison is right that care workers should be paid in the same way as other key workers in Brighton and Hove.
It is time for the administration to stop posturing and take action to support its care workers.
Instead of empty statements, the Health and Wellbeing Board chair should listen to Unison and take action to redress an issue of discrimination that has been highlighted by the union on behalf of care workers.
Labour cannot cry poor as it was able to quickly find the money to replace over a million pounds that it lost through its financial bungle with home to school transport.
Care workers in Brighton and Hove will be getting sick of the empty political posturing by members of this administration who grandstand at committee meetings but then take no action to address the issues that they raise.
They would do better if they paid a special covid-19 bonus to recognise the dedication of key workers during the coronavirus crisis.
Councillor Steve Bell is the leader of the opposition Conservative group on Brighton and Hove City Council.
I am sure they do.but not what they should be getting per hour.It wasn’t that long ago that Trades like Electricians and Plumbers weren’t paid their worth now they can earn as much as some City workers that just paper shuffle and move numbers around.