Care support workers in Bolton and Salford are celebrating the announcement that care provider Lifeways will not cut their sleep-in payments.  The proposed cut would have left staff up to £90 a week worse off.  

Lifeways employs support staff across the North West to care for vulnerable people.  Last month, Lifeways told staff that they would no longer be receiving top-ups to payments for sleep-in shifts.  The payments were introduced earlier this year to bring wages up to the level of the National Living Wage.  Cutting the payments would have cost some care staff thousands of pounds a year.

Staff raised concerns about the proposed cut through UNISON, and Lifeways have now agreed to continue to pay staff £7.83 per hour for sleep-in shifts as long as Bolton Council continue their current levels of funding.   

Lifeways’ move in Bolton follows a similar announcement last week in Salford, where the company also dropped a proposal to cut sleep-in pay.    

Gwen, a support worker in Bolton, said:

“This is great news just before Christmas. The pay cut would have hit us hard. I enjoy my job but I was seriously considering leaving to find work elsewhere as I couldn’t see how I could make ends meet. This is such a relief”.

Tim Ellis, UNISON North West Regional Organiser said:

“These are low-paid staff who are doing important jobs and they should be paid properly for their time.  Other councils should follow Salford and Bolton and make the necessary funding commitment to ensure that care staff don’t face a pay cut.”