Avon and Wiltshire Partnership (AWP) is an NHS mental health trust which covers Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire localities. AWP also runs some services in Dorset. AWP employs about 4000 people including a fair few BCWN members. AWP is planning on cutting band 4 admin … Continue reading Update on the AWP admin job cuts

When is an action not an action?   When you have to do it on your lunchbreak to avoid inconveniencing your employer. When it doesn't involve any, you know, action. When it's organised by Unison.   AWP, our local NHS mental health trust, are cutting 70+ band 4 admin posts, with a knock-on effect on … Continue reading “Like Punching Yourself in the Face So You Can Show Off The Bruise”- Job cuts in AWP, and a day of action without any action.

Bristol Care Workers Network statement on the Stand up to Mencap! demo on October 27th Who are we? Bristol Care Workers Network is a grassroots union for health and social care workers in Bristol. We take inspiration from radical and syndicalist unions like the Solidarity Federation and the IWW. We reject the top-down, bureaucratic trade … Continue reading “Law or no law, we intend to keep fighting”- Bristol Care Workers Network statement on the Stand up to Mencap! demo on October 27th

We asked five Bristol social care workers about their experiences of sleeping night shifts. This is what they said: "One thing that really effects me after a sleep-in is the back pain I suffer. I have a firm good quality mattress at home to help support my back. Unfortunately, all the sleep-in mattresses are cheap … Continue reading Five Bristol Care Workers Talk About Sleep Shifts

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”

Back in July Mencap, the learning disability charity with the unappealing name, took the government to court. Mencap wanted to challenge an earlier ruling on whether or not sleep shifts count as work, for the purposes of calculating the national minimum wage. Mencap won their case and now, thanks to them, sleep shifts are no … 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.