ON the face of it is, it is an announcement that should be universally welcomed: social care staff working sleepover shifts are to be paid the living wage of £8.45 an hour. Making the announcement, the health secretary Shona Robison said the move would make a real difference to staff whose hard work enables the elderly, the frail or people with special needs to live with dignity.
But it is what Ms Robison did not say that matters. No one disagrees about the principle – if staff are at work, they should be paid the living wage, even if they are on a sleepover shift. Sometimes, staff will sleep through the shift but often they will be up and about, dealing with emergencies and looking after the people they care for. Whatever happens, they are at work and should be properly paid.
However, as many in the care sector made clear in 2014 when a tribunal first ruled that people on sleepover shifts are entitled to the minimum wage, introducing the change without also budgeting for it is likely to push many charities into financial crisis.
Sadly, the Scottish Government is now behaving as if these warnings never happened. It is right to say care must be improved and staff should be paid the living wage. Ms Robison was also right to consult with the sector, although she did not listen to the results. Announcing changes is all very well. She should now say how they are meant to be paid for.
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