[IER] IER report: Bosses telling care workers they don't have employment rights

Fri Oct 6 16:32:47 BST 2017

IER News Brief 06/10/17

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Friday 06th October 2017

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A new IER report reveals that some bosses are telling care workers they don't have employment rights, taking advantage of public confusion over labour law.

Dr Lydia Hayes, Cardiff University expert on labour standards in social care, conducted a three-year, indepth study into employment conditions for care workers, the findings of which she analyses in new IER publication 8 Good Reasons Why Adult Social Care Needs Sectoral Collective Bargaining <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=a95d7f48f1&e=71131c031b> .

As part of her study, she found that employers are "seizing upon public confusions as a chance to avoid obligations".

Dr Hayes said: "Today's system relies on workers understanding employment law in order to identify when their employer is breaking it, and thus begin tribunal proceedings. 

"Unsurprisingly, most non-lawyers do not have an adequate understanding of this complex and technical field, and my study uncovered evidence that employers are exploiting this. 

"One homecare company I visited hung a sign above their front desk that said 'Do not ask for holiday, as refusal often offends', and workers for the company were routinely misled about their legal entitlements."

Even when workers do take employers to tribunal, she noted that the current system of enforcement is not robust enough to protect workers from exploitation.

This is particularly apparent after the government last week announced <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=958b677c1c&e=71131c031b>  the extension of its 'amnesty' on enforcing minimum wage law in the social care sector for another month.

Dr Hayes said: "We know that exploitative conditions for care workers leads to poor-quality care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. 

"My study showed that most people are convinced politicians place a low-priority on the welfare of our older people, and it is time the government proved them wrong by promoting and supporting negotiations between employers' associations and trade unions to start identifying and implementing reasonable standards for pay, conditions and training of care workers."

Click here topurchase your copy of 8 Good Reasons Why Adult Social Care Needs Sectoral Collective Bargaining for just £8 <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=a5c3460527&e=71131c031b> .

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