Scottish Daily Mail

Mitie in firing line after claim by care staff

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MITIE has been forced to begin a review into one part of its home care business after facing allegation­s over the way it treated its workers, writes Peter Campbell.

The cleaning and security company owns MiHomeCare, one of the largest care providers in Britain, which is paid by local councils to provide visits for elderly and disabled people.

But yesterday Mitie was rocked by claims from two former employees in South Wales that they were given ‘too little time’ to travel between jobs – forcing carers to cut short visits or face working longer hours for the same pay, which would push them below minimum wage rates.

The branch in Penarth near Cardiff is already facing an investigat­ion by HMRC over whether it has breached the minimum wage. It could face a fine as well as back-pay if found guilty.

Mitie chief executive Ruby McGregor-Smith said the company was taking the matter ‘very seriously’.

She told the Mail it had opened an investigat­ion into the branch, but not into the rest of its national care network.

When the investigat­ion reports next week, the firm will decide whether to launch a full inquiry into the whole of the MiHomeCare business, which has 45 branches across Southern England and Wales employing 6,000 staff.

‘The last thing that we want is to be seen to have done anything wrong,’ she insisted.

But she said that local council contracts offer flat rates for providing the care and do not account for large distances between visits, and blamed ‘pricing pressure’ when trying to bid for work.

She also said that some workers might use large distances between appointmen­ts as an excuse to take a break.

Mitie (down 0.3p at 304.7p) bought the business in 2012 for £110m.

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