Covid Heroes On ‘Poverty Wages’ Forced To Strike To Get Proper Pay
Care workers and cleaners at a nursing home on the Covid front line have been “left with no choice but to strike” after decades of what they say are “poverty wages” and poor working conditions.
Staff at Sage Nursing Home in Golders Green in north London plan to begin their three-day industrial action on Friday, citing months of attempting to negotiate over issues of low pay, sick pay and union recognition.
They are asking to be paid a living wage of £12 per hour and told us they were struggling to pay bills and support their families even as they fear bringing home coronavirus each day.
But the trustees of the nursing home, which is run as a charity, say meeting the workers’ demands would be “unrealistic” and could force it to close.
Jamaican-born Andrene Williams, 36, and her mother-in-law have worked as care assistants at Sage Nursing Home for 17 and 25 years respectively. Andrene is paid £9.60 an hour.
“The greatest thing for me is when I go in the morning, and I see a smile on one of their faces,” she told HuffPost UK. “It’s not just about washing and dressing these people, it’s about the bond that you create between them and the families.”
Then the pandemic hit. “It was rough,” she said. “We saw 21 residents die.” Williams was petrified she’d bring the virus that was killing her patients back to her home and her three children, one of who was born prematurely and has lung disease.
When the outbreak first arrived in London last year, she considered staying at home with her family. “I went and got the shielding letters and all of the paperwork I needed.” But then she changed her mind. “I realised my colleagues needed me and the staff were depending on me for reassurance, so I had to weigh up the pros and cons. It was a hard decision.”
Williams decided she cared too much about her colleagues and the nursing home residents to stay at home. “When you’re doing a job that you’re passionate about and it’s a job you’ve...
