A THIRD of care staff get less than £100 a week — and more than one in 10 no pay at all — if forced to stay at home by coronavirus, their union has revealed.

A survey of thousands of care staff carried out by Unison, published today, showed that many are put under pressure by bosses to go to work, even if displaying Covid-19 symptoms or needing to self-isolate.

Separate evidence seen by the union confirms that many care companies refuse to pay full wages for staff affected by Covid or tell them to use their leave, it said.

Some 51 per cent of those surveyed have had to self-isolate during the pandemic, and only half of them received full pay. 

Eleven per cent received nothing and a third received statutory sick pay of just £96.35 a week — despite government advice to employers to pay staff in full, backed by a pledge from Health Secretary Matt Hancock.   

Unison is demanding that the government guarantees all care workers full pay. Senior national officer for the sector Gavin Edwards said: “It’s over a year into the pandemic and staff still face severe financial hardship for self-isolating.  

“Not paying those affected by Covid puts the vulnerable at risk by driving up infections.”

The government was asked to comment.