Citizens UK community leaders from across the country, including care workers and care recipients, will gather outside five major care provider headquarters including Bupa and Barchester Healthcare in London; HC-One in Darlington; Four Seasons Healthcare in Cheshire; and Care UK in Colchester to call on them to commit to paying their workers the real Living Wage. 

As the five biggest care providers in the UK, they operate over 1000 care homes across the country but are not accredited Living Wage employers, with some staff being paid less than the real Living Wage.  

Over 250 care providers have become accredited Living Wage Employers in the last two years. Whilst this is a step in the right direction, the rising cost of living has meant that more care sector workers are struggling with necessities like heating or eating. 

This follows a previous demonstration on 30 March at Parliament Square where community leaders from around the UK, including care workers, called on MPs to support a real Living Wage for care workers in England.  

Earlier this year, Greater Manchester Citizens, a chapter of Citizens UK, campaigned for care provider Anchor Hannover to commit to paying their care workers across the country the real Living Wage. They did commit – meaning a £19m pay rise for thousands of care workers who were previously on the National Minimum Wage (NMW). 

Low pay in the care sector also disproportionately affects specific groups across society, as four out of five care workers are women;  one in five are black, asian or minority ethnic; and one in five are single parents. Campaigners have outlined that the Government cannot succeed in a levelling-up agenda without acting on wage inequality in the care industry.  

Annalibera, a care worker from London and Citizens UK leader, said: “I feel fulfilment and a sense of community from caring for those who need it, but low pay makes it really hard to get by. I’ve seen colleagues leave the industry because they simply cannot live off the low wages we receive, even though they love their jobs. This results in high staff turnover, which is a big problem for many care homes and means that those who receive care are constantly having to adapt to new people. It doesn’t offer them the stability they deserve. 

“Things cannot continue like this. Major care providers must step up and lead the way in accrediting as real Living Wage Employers.” 

Mike Beckett, chief officer of Colchester Foodbank charity said: “The Foodbank team are concerned that we are seeing more and more care workers needing to use the foodbank to get by because of low wages. Paying the real Living Wage gives workers back their dignity and means they won’t need the crisis emergency service of the Foodbank. We are grateful to all care homes that make the responsible decision to pay their care workers the real Living Wage and call on all other care providers to follow suit.” 

Sue, Citizens UK leader in Essex, said: “Today we visited my husband’s sister who has suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for ten years, gradually deteriorating. She doesn’t speak, sleeps most of the time, and it’s continuous a struggle for us as a family to ensure she’s getting sufficient nutrition.  

“Care workers help us so much – visiting at least four times a day. When I visit her, she is clean, cared for, and peaceful. Isn’t this worth more than the poverty pay care workers receive?” 

Claire, a Citizens UK leader in Tyne & Wear, said: “Those who work in the care industry are not appreciated for all the valuable work they do and there’s this perception of care work as being unskilled. This is simply not reality – it’s highly skilled work, yet not recognised as such. It’s time for big care providers to commit to paying their care workers a real Living Wage so that those caring for society’s most vulnerable can actually afford to take care of themselves.”