This week Emma warned MPs and Ministers that hundreds of thousands of care staff across the UK are being paid less than the minimum wage, with damaging consequences for social care.
Emma spoke in a debate on care workers called by the Labour MP Andrew Smith. She explained that many companies got around minimum wage laws by refusing to pay staff for time spent travelling between appointments.
A report by the National Audit Office shows 220,000 care workers are paid less than the minimum wage (£6.50 an hour). An investigation by the tax authorities has shown nearly half of care providers are breaking minimum wage laws.
Emma criticised the Government for not doing enough. She explained that she and other Labour MPs had alerted Ministers to this issue during debates on the Care Act, but that nothing had been done.
She also pointed out that the Chancellor George Osborne said that companies who did not pay the minimum wage would be “named and shamed”, but so far not a single care provider has been publicly identified.
Emma went on to explain that care workers also had to deal with poor training and supervision, and uncertain hours because of their zero hours contracts.
You can read Emma’s full speech by clicking here.
Emma supports Labour’s plan to raise the National Minimum Wage, and to increase fines for employers who do not pay. She has co-sponsored bills to raise the minimum wage and outlaw zero hours contracts.
She also backs the creation of a £2.5 billion Time to Care Fund that will create 5,000 new care jobs and make sure the care sector has the capacity to deliver a quality service.
Speaking after the debate, Emma said:
“Care staff do really important work helping some of the most vulnerable people in our community, but unfortunately in a lot of cases they aren’t paid the way they deserve to be. The Government had a number of opportunities to put this right during debates on the Care Act, but it failed to do so.
“This isn’t just about workers. People who receive care in their home want staff they know and who are properly trained to do the job. When staff aren’t paid a fair wage it makes it harder to recruit skilled and motivated staff, and care quality goes down as a result.”