If there has
been one topic which has cropped up at every regional and national meeting of
UNISON which I have attended in the past couple of weeks it has been the fight
being waged by our Haringey
Branch for fair
pay for home care workers who have been ripped off in the private sector.
Whilst the
majority of our members, working in the public sector are justifiably angry
that the
pay freeze has reduced our standard of living dramatically over the past
six and a half years – many of the increasing proportion of our members who
work in the private sector are being paid wages that are unlawfully low.
These are workers,
often employed on zero-hours contracts by employers who do not recognise trade
unions, who most need union organisation and representation. Haringey branch
have shown what many branches could do given
sufficient resources by employing a worker to help them represent and
organise social care workers in the private sector.
An effective
working partnership between a democratic lay-led UNISON branch in Haringey and
the professionals at the UNISON Centre offers hope to some of the most
exploited and marginalised workers – and demonstrates why we need a trade union
which fights for our members.
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