Fair pay for care workers

Care workers have been on the front-line during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are also amongst the lowest paid in our community. While Council employees are paid at least the London Living Wage, the majority of care workers – who work for private companies that contract with the Council – are not.

We believe that the Council should: make a commitment in principle to pay care workers the London Living Wage; investigate the costs of doing so; and campaign to get the money from Government.

We submitted motions to this effect to Merton Council in 2017, and at the budget meeting in 2020 but they were blocked by Labour councillors.

At the Council meeting earlier this month (July 2020) we again proposed small but practical steps to secure the London Living Wage is paid to care workers working for Council contractors, and the motion was successful.

The Council has now made a commitment in principle to pay care workers the London living wage. It has agreed to investigate the costs of making this change, and to lobby Merton's MPs and central Government for sufficient funding to make the changes.