Strike by Sage staff averted as care home agrees to Acas discussions

STRIKE ACTION by staff at the Sage care home in Golders Green over wage and sick pay claims has been averted after management agreed to Acas-mediated talks.

Employees are calling on Sage to raise pay from £8.72-£9.60 an hour to £12 and to offer sick pay and holiday entitlement equivalent to NHS rates.

They say Sage pays the legal minimum for sick leave.

Andrene Williams, who has worked at the care home for 17 years, and fellow employee Bile Ahouza claim they have had to use up annual leave when sick to have enough money to make ends meet.

“It’s time for change,” said Ms Williams, whose story is featured in a change.org petition that has attracted around 70,000 signatures.

Raising the level of sick pay would mean “at least I know if I’m ill, I don’t have to worry. I know at the end of the month I will be able to pay my bills.”

The mother-of-three added: “To be underpaid for the job that we do — you can’t even comprehend the way that makes you feel at the end of the month.

“You put a smile on the residents’ faces and then as a parent you can’t smile and you can’t make your kids smile.”

Mr Ahouza, 42, has family members who depend on him here and abroad. He was proud of the job he did — “people don’t understand how hard it is”.

The majority of the workers are represented by the United Voices of The World, an independent union, which they say has not been formally recognised by the home.

It is claimed there was a unanimous vote for strike action, which the union said on Monday had been postponed following management’s agreement to take part in reconciliation talks.

In a statement, Sage said the home was not operated “to generate a profit and it relies upon donations.

“It has the stated aim to make 60 per cent of its accommodation available at all times to persons who cannot afford to pay the full fees charged.

“Sage benchmarks its rates of pay against the care home sector and believes it is in line with comparable care homes.

“Like many in the care sector, Sage is battling with the consequences of Covid19 — severe operational challenges, increased costs and the tragic loss of a third of its residents [and hence also a substantial loss of income].”

The “unrealistic” pay demands could, if implemented, lead to the home’s closure.

Currently, the London Living Wage —an hourly rate calculated to reflect the cost of living in the capital — is £10.75.

To be underpaid — you can’t comprehend how that feels’