Fair wage for Islington's carers

By Cordelia O'Neill

ISLINGTON Council last night unexpectedly apologised to its hard-pressed carers, as it announced an internal inquiry into the million-pound decision to privatise carers’ contracts in 2003.

In a change on the council’s previous position, Terry Stacy, the executive member for communities, said he “apologised for any distress caused” by the decision that left 83 carers on a minimum wage of £12,000 a year.

A task force headed by Andy Jennings, the deputy chief executive of the Liberal Democrat council, will investigate the circumstances that led to Islington Council paying £980,000 to Care UK to provide for the borough’s elderly people.

The council were accused of “paying to force people into poverty” and “employing people on the cheap” by Labour councillor Phil Kelly, after Care UK, who made nearly £200,000 profit last year, announced they were to cut carers’ wages in half in November 2006.

“Everything to do with this case has been kept secret,” said Andrew Berry, who is deputy branch secretary of Unison, the public sector workers’ union. “I very much hope that the review will help us.”

Councillor Natasha Chatterjee said the decision had created “huge problems” for the borough as it struggled to look after its elderly residents.

Figures from the Islington Carers Forum suggest that there are 5,000 elderly people in Islington who are dependent on home care provided by the Council, 3,000 of whom have been diagnosed as having ‘high support needs’.

Cllr Chatterjee said that the pay cut would “drastically reduce” the availability and quality of care for the most vulnerable people in the borough.

“I am deeply concerned we can’t get the same quality workforce,” she said. “Thirty per cent of the care workers we had have left the profession.

“We’re going to see huge problems with living costs and housing for care workers. Islington Council should never do business with a company that doesn’t give staff a fair wage.”

“They need almost constant care,” Councillor Chatterjee continued. “There are more elderly people than there are to look after them. I’m worried that the support just isn’t there for them.”

A Care UK spokeswoman said: “The proposed changes to the contract are driven by a desire to ensure the council receives best value for money. The changes will result in savings for the council and the borough’s council tax payers while at the same time ensuring there is no reduction in the quality of care for residents.

“Care UK’s proposed changes reflect standard terms and conditions within the care industry. Already the majority of staff employed on this contract are on these terms.”

The inquiry signals a turnabout in the council’s attitude to the crisis. In October Liberal Democrat Councillor George Allan said it would be “inappropriate” for the council to get involved and insisted the Liberal Democrat Executive had done nothing wrong.

“It is a private contract between Care UK and its staff,” he said then. “It isn’t a matter we could have intervened in.”