“Why clap us then sack us?”
So said a fiercely held placard on the picket line at the historic Cote Lane retirement village in Bristol this week.
Staff there say they are facing the sack if they don’t sign new contracts issued by care company St Monica Trust. They say the company call it a “dismissal and re-engagement programme”. Which sounds a lot like “ fire and rehire”.
UNISON says the new contracts will mean senior care workers have their weekend pay rates slashed by 21% and other staff face a 10% pay cut. Staff also face cuts to their sick pay and reductions in working hours. The union says some employees face losing more than £3,000 a year.
“Covid was a very worrying time for us,” says care worker and union rep Tina Rossiter. “We all worried about bringing the virus home to our loved ones. My daughter has MS so that was a worry. But we still all came into work every day to care for people.”
Now she stands to lose £600-£700 a year just as the cost of living crisis is hitting hard.
“This is the thanks we get,” she says.
Another care worker, Melanie (not her real name), said she had been off sick with stress after realising she would lose well over £3,000 a year. She said the changes will adversely affect residents by reducing the amount of one-to-one time they get with staff.
“The residents don’t deserve that,” she says. “During the pandemic we were their family, and they were our family. Their families weren’t able to come in, so we were the faces they saw. Even now we are still holding their hands through all this. It just makes you feel undervalued and unappreciated.”
Visiting a relative at the care home, Vivien (not her real name) said she felt “immense admiration for the carers taking strike action – it shows tremendous dedication”.
She added: “They are recruiting carers all over the place and they could move on, but they’ve chosen to stay and resist this attack on the quality of care at St Monica’s.
“I’m shocked at the behaviour of management. It’s sheer unfairness. This is supposed to be a charity.”
Strikers have even won the support of RMT boss Mick Lynch, who sent a message of solidarity. “It’s important that everyone gives their maximum support to this campaign,” he said. “It’s vitally important that we win this dispute and put fire and rehire behind us.”
St Monica’s retirement villages, run by a charity backed by a wealthy business society, are marketed as a “stunning place to retire” with Grade II listed buildings, acres of land, swimming pools and even fine dining on offer to residents.
St Monica’s accounts, filed with the charity commission, report: “The Trust’s financial position at the end of 2020 was strong, with unrestricted reserves of £38.8million and net assets of £305.6million.”
The charity was originally set up in 1919 by Monica Wills, wife of Henry Wills, of the Wills Family Tobacco Company, as a rest home for “five or six missionary friends”. The Trust now runs four care homes and retirement villages across the West Country.
Many relatives and staff point to the links between St Monica’s and the Society of Merchant Venturers (SMV) – a wealthy local society that was recently implicated in the Colston statue row in Bristol.
Vivien says: “It feels as if some of the wealthiest people in the city of Bristol are reaching into the pockets of these carers, who are not well-paid.”
The charity says it is the victim of a “campaign of misinformation”.
Chief Executive David Williams says: “Every single member of the St Monica Trust team is valued and, as we have done throughout this process, we will continue to listen to our colleagues and address any remaining issues that they may have regarding the care home restructure.
“There are no winners when industrial action threatens to disruptthe lives of vulnerable older people, their loved ones and our care home colleagues.
“Instead, we believe that the necessary changes to how our care homes operate should be resolved through the continuing process of honest consultation with our Employee Representative Groups, which has already resulted in 80% of colleagues agreeing to the proposals.”
He added: “The Society of Merchant Venturers were asked to manage the endowment bequeathed by the Wills family in 1920 to establish the St Monica Trust. While the Trust is fully independent in terms of its day-to-day operations, management and long-term strategy, the governing council does have a minority of trustees nominated by the Merchant Venturers.”
The company says it has awarded a 4% pay rise to staff and two years' salary protection.
David Freed, Master of the Society of Merchant Venturers said: “Throughout the pandemic, hard working staff at care homes across the country have consistently gone above and beyond…The amazing staff who work for the St Monica Trust are no exception and we know that the trustees and leadership team at the St Monica Trust appreciate and value every member of staff, and are united in trying to find a solution that will deliver a positive outcome for all employees.”
Further action is planned tomorrow, with Bristol North West MP Darren Jones joining staff and families of residents at a rally.
“Staff are taking the difficult decision to strike because they have no options left,” says UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea.
“Despite building wonderful relationships with residents and their families, dedicated employees are being forced out of the door.
“The wellbeing of the elderly residents and their loved ones is being sacrificed in order to cut costs. The trust must think about the damage it is doing and abandon its fire and rehire plans.”
