UNISON the biggest public sector trade union has exposed yet another scandal which helps explain why the country is still in the red despite Government spin that our economy is booming.

Following a Freedom of Information request UNISON has established that 93% of councils in England and Wales don’t make it a contractual condition for homecare providers to pay care workers for travel time. By not paying travel time, homecare providers risk falling foul of National Minimum Wage laws. It is estimated that up to 220,000 care workers across the UK earn less than the minimum wage of £6.50. Many members are reporting actual hourly rates as low as £3.50.

If workers are not paid a decent wage then they are not paying tax and there is an obvious knock on to the economy. The Government predicted tax receipts to rise by 6.5% this financial year, instead they are down by 0.8% forcing George Osborne to pile another £2.6b on the deficit.

Whilst the headlines indicate unemployment is falling the reality is those jobs are not paying enough for people to pay the tax that is required to balance the books.

Pay rises have been below inflation for seven years in a row, making this the worst cost-of-living crunch for decades. The average UK salary, of £27,017, is worth £1,500 less in real terms than it was in 2000.

The outrageous exploitation of workers is damaging our economy. Employment practices which see an estimated 1.4m workers on zero hours contracts need to be outlawed. As we approach an election next May politicians of all parties need to be put under pressure to ensure workers get a fair deal from any economic growth.

Bernadette Gallagher

UNISON National Executive Council

Bolton Branch Secretary