Rehab centre faces closure over night back-pay

SIR – I have been a trustee and volunteer at a specialist women-only residential rehab centre for more than 20 years. Our clientele are often vulnerable and have associated medical and psychological problems.

Our centre is held in high esteem, not least because of our remarkable success rate in restoring mothers to their children, getting women back to work and independent living, and reducing their involvement in crime.

The staff have always been paid £25 for the eight hours they are asleep. In January we implemented the new legal requirement for staff to be paid an hourly rate for sleeping hours. We also have to inform staff that they are entitled to back pay. Our conservative estimate is that this will cost us £90,000.

We struggle to keep afloat financially as it is, and have no capacity to service a loan. We fully expect that we may have to close down and that all the staff will lose their jobs.

Is this what Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, wants? Hilary Jarrett

Norwich

SIR – Not paying live-in carers while they are asleep is, at best, unfair.

It must be considered akin to paying fire officers only when they are putting out fires. Robin Ferguson

Shirley, Surrey