Carer’s anger over ‘one-off ’ payment

ADundee carer has hit out at the “slap in the face” payment handed to key workers during the pandemic.

The woman, who did not want to be named, was among frontline staff given only £25 extra to meet the “increased cost of laundering work uniforms”.

The woman is in the high-risk category if she contracts the virus. She has been working with vulnerable members of the Dundee community since the outbreak began.

She said: “This is a slap in the face. I can’t even speak when I think about it. It’s absolutely disgusting.

“I’m struggling to find the words to describe how I’m feeling.”

She said the amount offered was an insult to those who continued to risk their lives to look after others.

“We’ ve been working extra shifts. We’ve been covering up because there’s been so many staff off sick. Everything has caught up with me now.

“The £25 wouldn’t even start to cover the extra cost of washing. We’ve been changing and washing our clothes every day since this thing started,” she added.

She struggled to access testing at the start of the outbreak, she added. The workplace stress had also damaged her health and wellbeing.

“It’s terrible and it’s (the sum offered) an insult to the workers who have worked all the way through this.”

Labour councillor Michael Marra agreed, and criticised the “t o k e n” payment.

He said: “The reaction of this c a r e w o r ke r s ay s everything you need to know about this patronising token gesture.

“£25 will buy a couple of boxes of washing powder. It does nothing to meet the real extra costs being met by these low-paid staff.”

He said health and social care bosses needed to face the “reality” of the increased costs workers face.

“These costs need to be met. The personal sacrifices of care staff have been huge throughout the pandemic. They had to fight to receive the most basic of PPE protection.

“They have kept our most vulnerable citizens alive. They don’t need a miserable backhander – they need a pay rise.”

The Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership (DHSCP) brings together health and social care services for individuals and communities in Dundee.

A DHSCP spokeswoman said: “In recognition of the increased cost of laundering work uniforms we agreed, in consultation with trade unions, to pay our social care workers in homecare, care homes and learning disabilities a oneoff payment.

“We would like to thank them for their unwavering dedication and hard work for the people they care for.”

The worker received a note promising “good news for you all”.

It continued: “Following recent discussions with trade unions and managers from DHSCP it has been agreed to pay a one- off payment of £25 to social care workers.

“This is in recognition of the increased cost of laundering work uniforms.

“Payments will be made through payroll at the end of November.”

A GMB Scotland s p o ke s m a n said: “The council shouldn’t spin a small payment to assist some DHSCP staff with laundry costs as good news.

“This wasn’t signed-off with the support of our union. They have a long way to go before they can claim they are providing anything close to proper safety and value for these workers.”