Care workers, registered nurses and staff at residential homes run by one of Bristol’s biggest care home providers will begin to vote tomorrow (Friday) on whether to go on strike in a dispute over new contracts and conditions.
Carers who work for the St Monica Trust have already indicated they would be prepared to take industrial action in the row with bosses at the Bristol-based charity, and now a formal ballot that lasts three weeks is to begin.
The St Monica Trust, one of the charities under the umbrella of the Society of Merchant Venturers, run five retirement villages and four care homes in and around Bristol. The dispute only affects staff and residents of the four care homes - John Wills House and Garden House in Westbury-on-Trym, Russets and Sherwood care home in Sandford, North Somerset, and Charter House at the Chocolate Factory development in Keynsham.
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The care workers, nurses and staff being balloted on strike action are members of the healthcare workers’ union Unison. Representatives of Unison said the trust’s proposals would see sick pay and enhancements to pay for working evenings and weekends would be ‘drastically cut’, leaving some front-line care workers ‘up to £300 poorer each month’.
They also branded the changes to contracts and terms and conditions as ‘fire and re-hire’, saying that staff had been told if they didn’t agree to the changes they would be dismissed and rehired on new, inferior contracts - something St Monica Trust said was a description they didn’t agree with.
“The proposed use of fire and rehire is no way to treat hard working staff,” UNISON Bristol branch organiser Josh Connor said. “It’s a despicable practice and is something that no decent employer would contemplate. With so many vacancies in the social care sector and inflation soaring, employers should be doing all they can to hold on to staff. That means improving pay and other work benefits, not cutting them. The Trust must think again, or it risks losing many experienced staff, which will have an impact on the care available,” he added.
“The public made their feelings known when another local employer, Clarks, tried this approach, forcing it to back down. UNISON will be making sure everyone is aware of the Trust’s callous plans and will be urging the public to express their dismay at such appalling treatment of this loyal, dedicated and experienced group of workers,” he said.
Proposed changes to shift times will also be devastating to some staff with caring responsibilities, the union said.
“St Monica Trust has said that if staff refuse to accept the changes, then they will be dismissed and rehired on new inferior contracts,” a Unison spokesperson added. “The cuts have caused much concern amongst the care staff, especially with the spiralling cost of living and carers already worried about how they are going to make ends meet,” he added.
One carer said: “I work nights so that I can be with my children. As a single mum, cutting hours and pay will have a huge effect on our lives. We would be saying goodbye to the family holiday. I would worry about costs of school uniforms. I would need to find another job.”
But St Monica Trust, which is part of the Society of Merchant Venturers’ charity organisations, said it didn’t agree this was a case of ‘fire and rehire’, and said staff wouldn’t be out of pocket.
“The threat of “fire and rehire”, is not a term that we would recognise as being a part of the wider consultation process, which the St Monica Trust is legally bound to follow,” said David Williams, the chief executive of the St Monica Trust.
“As a local charity, the world we are now operating in is very different to the one of two years ago. The pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the UK’s health and social care sector, as does the nationwide social care recruitment crisis.
“The proposals that are currently under consideration aim to deliver consistency in the ways of working across all of the Trust’s care homes, improve recruitment and attract new workers into the social care sector. This will also help fulfil our ongoing commitment for the St Monica Trust to be a real living wage employer, while offering a package of enhancements that exceed the industry standards for the health and social care sector.
“We believe this is necessary to ready ourselves for the many challenges that lie ahead for the social care sector as a whole, as well as enhancing the experience of living in our care homes for our residents and their loved-ones. Consultations between the Trust and our care home colleagues regarding the proposed changes are ongoing and, from listening to our colleagues, we have already proposed to amend the initial proposal to include a form of pay protection.
“We understand that this is a difficult and emotive time for all involved. We would like to reassure our colleagues that they are all valued and that the Trust is committed to working together with all parties involved, to jointly agree the most appropriate way forward,” he added.
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