Care home workers in Derby who were promised a one-off payment of £500 have been left disappointed after the council excluded staff who fell ill at any time from December 2021 to March 2022.
The money was made available by the NHS and should have been paid out by Derby City Council as a way of easing pressures around the recruitment and retention of carers during the busy winter period.
Staff were told they would receive the payment as long as they were “available for work”, and at no point were they advised of the strict sickness criteria imposed by the council.
One Derby carer has said: “We are low paid workers who exposed ourselves to Covid-19 every day for 2 years, putting our elderly residents first and our families second and this is the thanks we get.
“Derby City Council are punishing care workers for being sick but should instead be giving us the respect we deserve.”
UNISON East Midlands regional organiser Emma Roberts says: “This decision to withhold money meant for underpaid carers is nothing more than a great con and alienates staff.
“UNISON have urged Derby City Council to revisit their position and use its discretion more wisely. The way these payments have been handed out could deflate an already underpaid and undervalued workforce.”
UNISON is already engaging with the council regarding the Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund and continues to push to understand how that money made its way to the pockets of frontline workers.