Union in care home row fails in collective bargaining bid

V A TRADE union representing staff at the Sage Nursing Home in Golders Green will not be entitled to recognition for collective bargaining following a postal ballot of employees.

But the United Voices of the World union — whose members have staged industrial action over wage and other demands — has pledged that they will “not be silenced”

The vote failed to attract the necessary percentage in favour and a Sage spokesperson said the home was “satisfied with the outcome of this ballot and overwhelmed by the support from our staff”.

The representative also thanked employees for their “continued dedication to the home and the residents over the course of the last 14 months”.

In a statement, UVW said that “staff will not be silenced. They will continue to exercise their legal rights through their trade union and they are more determined than ever to continue the fight for dignified working conditions.”

The high number of those voting in favour of recognition had highlighted the “strength of feeling to have guaranteed legal rights to negotiations”.

UVW also called on Sage to “stop paying these key workers poverty wages. These staff have saved lives and cared for our loved ones during the pandemic and they deserve their value to be reflected in the pay, conditions and treatment they receive.

“The trustees have the power and means to resolve this dispute and uplift their conditions at the stroke of the pen if they so desired — and we urge them to do so.”

For their part, Sage management wanted to “commit all of our focus and energy back to the home. There is still much work to be done to ensure its future. But we remain devoted to finding solutions and striving to make Sage the best possible environment for our residents to live in — and for our staff to work in.”