Mencap have gone to court to demand that the government overturns it’s recent ruling on pay for sleeping shifts. Because of Mencap, millions of low-paid workers will now be denied the minimum wage for their sleep shifts. We want to send a message to Mencap- The working class are not powerless. On October 27th, Bristol … Continue reading Mencap- Get the Message!

From one of our members: "I worked for Mencap for about a year in 2014 as a support worker. I started off working in the midlands where I was living at the time. I had a positive experience working at Mencap there, I was a part time worker and didn't have to do any sleep … Continue reading “That’s Part of the Job. You Just Have to Get on With it”

I am lucky; I haven’t worked a sleep shift for years. If anyone hasn’t realised yet, sleep shifts do not involve a lot of actual sleep. In my old job in a dementia unit, I would work a late shift from 3pm until 10pm; at 6am I would start getting residents washed and dressed, and … Continue reading Sleep Shifts are Work. Care Work is Work.

During 5 years a previous employer I did a minimum of 1 sleep in a week, and towards the end of my time there I was doing 3 a week. I was paid £30 a night for this 8 hour window, which works out at £3.75 per hour. At the time I enjoyed it, the … Continue reading Whose Sleep? Our Sleep!

Mencap have gone to court to demand that the government overturns it’s recent ruling on pay for sleeping shifts. Because of Mencap, millions of low-paid workers will now be denied the minimum wage for their sleep shifts. This has come at a time when non-payment of the minimum wage is at it's worst ever level. … Continue reading On October 27th, Stand up to Mencap!

Your boss is not allowed to stop you from talking about your pay. If your boss tries telling you that you're not allowed to talk about your pay, they are probably breaking the law. This is in the Equality Act 2010. If your boss doesn't want you to talk about your pay, it might be … Continue reading Newsflash: your boss is not allowed to stop you from talking about your pay.

Taken from uklabourlawblog.com Mencap v Tomlinson-Blake [2018] EWCA Civ 1641 is a judgment to take your breath away. It follows an established pattern in which the UK higher courts misunderstand, misrepresent and undermine the value of care workers’ labour. On this occasion, the Court of Appeal’s decision removes entitlement to minimum wage protection from care workers … Continue reading Three steps too far in the undervaluing of care: Mencap v Tomlinson-Blake – LJB Hayes

  Unison are the second-biggest trade union in the UK, and easily the most prominent trade union in the health and care sectors. Unison recently held a seminar on social care, and published a report on their findings1. Bristol Care Workers Network are a group of health and social care workers who are already fighting … Continue reading Unison Social Care Seminar Report and Actions-The Workers Respond.

Gender, pay and the NHS There has been recent interest in the gender pay gap now that employers of more than 250 staff have a legal duty to publish an annual report. So we at the Bristol Care Workers Network thought we should have a look at the situation at the two local NHS Trusts. … Continue reading Gender, Pay and the NHS

We found out today that Unison are accepting the local government pay offer, without putting up a fight, even though it's below inflation, which makes it a pay cut in real terms. Most disappointing is that Unison's members actually voted to reject the offer, but the union branches themselves voted to accept it. Unison's usual … Continue reading Unison-Which Side Are They On?