Tory Minister Blames Privatisation For Social Care Workers Missing Out On Pay Rise
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Tory minister Kit Malthouse has blamed the privatisation of the social care sector for social care workers missing out on a pay rise amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, the government announced a boost in wages for almost 900,000 public sector worker for dealing with the Covid-19 crisis, including doctors, teachers and police officers.
But ministers came under fire from unions and opposition MPs for failing to increase the pay of social care workers.
Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy – who was echoed by the TUC – said the government must increase local authority funding to ensure an increase in wages for social care workers, calling them “heroes” who had been dealing with “an absolute crisis in care homes”.
Meanwhile, Labour mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham tweeted: “So a pay rise for ‘members of the judiciary and senior civil servants’. But no mention of care workers.
“I wonder how that must make them feel today?”
So a pay rise for “members of the judiciary and senior civil servants”. But no mention of care workers. I wonder how that must make them feel today? https://t.co/dHcpCdX0Dk
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) July 21, 2020
But policing minister Kit Malthouse blamed the privatisation of the care sector for the government’s inability to boost care workers’ pay.
He told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: “The vast majority of social care workers are paid in the private sector so our ability to influence pay rates there is limited.”
Asked whether the government could set special minimum wage limits for social care workers and give local authorities the funds to make up the difference between that and their private sector salaries, Malthouse said ministers were focusing on the national minimum wage instead.
“What we have done is raise the level of the minimum wage very significantly over the last...
