GMB Urges Labour to Support Call for Minimum £15 Hourly Rate Care Workers

A union leader is to call on the Labour Party to support its campaign for care workers to be paid £15 an hour GMB union general secretary is set to urge the Labour leader to support care sector’s workers, who, they say only get “pennies above the minimum wage,” during his keynote speech to the general union’s annual congress in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

In his keynote speech to the GMB’s annual conference in Harrogate, Mr Smith will say that care workers should be paid no less than £15 per hour, advising delegates: “A symbolic and powerful start would be committing to paying care workers £15 an hour. Right now, many care workers get pennies above the minimum wage.

He added: “They deserve to be emerging into a land that’s fit for heroes, a different type of world and a different type of economy with a reward and respect for the work they do.”

He called for a wage hike for the sector, where many staff are paid the minimum hourly rate of just £9.50 for those aged 23 and over, dropping to £9.18 for staff aged 21 and 22, and only £6.83 for those aged 18 to 20.

The union has called on Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer to support the campaign with Mr Smith saying : “So, come on, Keir, show the public you want better too. Back the fight for £15 and give care workers the pay they deserve.”