Doncaster Care UK workers continue pay struggle

The first phase of Doncaster Care UK workers’ battle against 35% pay cuts, which included 34 days of strike action, has drawn to a conclusion.

Improvements have been secured from the original proposal of no enhancements and members will now progress through the pay bands subject to the usual performance indicators.

The Employment Tribunal decision went against us and our members democratically decided to accept transitional payments to temporarily alleviate the hardship that Care UK is raining down on us.

But if Care UK bosses think this is the end of Doncaster Unison resistance they can think again.

During the last nine months, Care UK has made it clear it intends to adopt a static version of transfer of earnings (TUPE).

It is not abiding by any pay award made to NHS staff since our transfer from NHS to Care UK on 1 September 2013. There is also no proposed pay rise this year.

No alternative

So Care UK leave us with no alternative but to submit our own pay claim for 2014-15.

The claim is for a meaningful increase in basic pay for all staff and a minimum starting rate of £7.65 an hour, the current living wage.

A company that makes millions of pounds profit from public sector contracts is so mean that it does not even pay its lowest graded staff the living wage.

We therefore have the ludicrous situation that many of our members who work for this organisation need to claim in-work benefits to survive.

The consultative vote on further industrial action produced an 85% mandate for a further strike ballot, which is now going ahead.

Adapted from Unison Doncaster Care UK bulletins