This is the last article you can read this month
You can read more article this month
You can read more articles this month
Sorry your limit is up for this month
Reset on:
Please help support the Morning Star by subscribing here
Bosses of healthcare privateer Care UK are expected to be called before the Commons health select committee to give evidence on its running of public care services in Britain.
Public service union Unison said it believes the expectation prompted Care UK to reopen talks over the long-running dispute involving Care UK workers in Doncaster, where the company undercut the National Health Service to win a council contract providing care for people with learning difficulties.
The NHS workers' jobs were transferred to Care UK who slashed wages and holidays, prompting strike action.
Care UK strikers travelled to London yesterday to ask Labour Unison MPs for support to win the dispute.
Yesterday's parliamentary visit coincided with a debate on the plight of care workers paid less than even the minimum wage because they are not paid for time travelling between clients.
A survey of councils found more than 90 per cent did not check on wages and conditions of workers employed by contractors to provide healthcare, and up to 220,000 receive less than the minimum wage.
The debate was prompted by Oxford East Labour MP Andrew Smith, and won a call from Care Minister Norman Lamb for an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "A crackdown on the scandal of homecare staff being paid illegal wages is long overdue."
Unison Yorkshire full-timer Jim Bell who met Unison MPs, said: "We were there to acquaint them with the details of the dispute and see how they can assist us both practically and politically."
Care UK is owned by London-based private equity investor Bridgepoint.
Mr Bell said: "One of the things they have done is that Care UK and Bridgepoint are to be called to the House of Commons health select committee to answer for their behaviour, and I am sure it is no coincidence that Care UK have asked for negotiations to reopen.
"We will be in negotiations today. They do not want to be turning up at the health select committee with the dispute still going and no hope of it being concluded."
