Hundreds of thousands of care workers were short-changed by up to £3,698 in pay last year, new data has revealed.
A GMB union analysis showed that at least 300,000 carers were out of pocket as their wage rates dropped below inflation.
According to ONS statistics, the average carer’s annual salary was £12,879 in April 2010, although half of these workers received less than this amount.
In real-terms, this was a pay cut of £3,698 last year, since 2010’s salary was worth £21,549 in April 2023, but only increased to £17,851.
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GMB believes this loss in earnings has impacted more than 300,000 employees recognised in the ONS’s Labour Force Survey.
Natalie Grayson, GMB national officer, said: “It’s hard to think of a more vital role in society than care work. These dedicated professionals look after our loved ones when they are at their most vulnerable – freeing us to make our own contributions to society and the economy. And as the UK population ages, their work is only going to get more important.
“Yet despite their crucial role – and the increasingly clinical nature of what they do – care workers suffer some of the worst pay, terms and conditions in the country. It’s a scandal that their pay has been cut in real terms since the Tories got in – a lost decade for those on the lowest pay.”
She added that although Labour’s manifesto pledge for a Fair Pay Agreement in care is a “huge step in the right direction”, GMB’s analysis indicates that the government urgently needs to take action to make it happen.
The latest findings follow GMB’s survey last year which highlighted that the vast majority (90%) of carers can’t afford to take sick leave. The union is campaigning for care workers to earn at least £15 an hour.
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