Care worker finally gets full pay for isolating

A Lanarkshire care worker at a nursing home, who was paid only Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) while self-isolating, has finally secured her full pay.

The worker, who is not being named, went into isolation after a member of her family contracted Covid-19.

The Government launched its Social Care Staff Support Fund to ensure care workers did not lose out finacially as a result of staying off work to minimise the spread of infection. While self-isolating, the woman – who is a member of UNISON – was receiving SSP of around £96.

She got in touch with UNISON after finding out about its ClaimCovidCash campaign, which revealed she was entitled to claim her full pay for the time she had stayed off work. However, many are still missing out. The care worker explained:“UNISON got in touch with the owners of the home and told them there was Government funding available. The home owners looked into it and I got my full pay. If it hadn’t been for UNISON I don’t know what would have happened.”

Margo Cranmer, secretary of UNISON’s Lanarkshire Health Branch, said“It is an absolute scandal that hard-working social care staff are having to survive on statutory sick pay while their employers refuse to pay out until they get the money up front.

“Even though the additional funding is provided by the Government, the only way workers can access it is through their employers.

“We are calling on employers in social care to meet their moral obligation to ensure these staff are paid as a matter of urgency and that social care workers are not left to pay for this crisis.”

Workers can find out more about their rights at www.unison-scotland.org/ campaigns/ scotlands-care-workers-for-change/