Union calls for ‘no jab, no job’ rule for care home staff to be scrapped amid workforce crisis
The government must immediately remove the mandatory requirement for care home staff to be vaccinated amid a workforce crisis in the sector, the UK’s largest social care union says.
UNISON is calling on ministers to stop “sleepwalking into a disaster” and end the ‘no jab, no job’ rule for those in the care industry.
Repealing jab compulsion for care home workers is the only way to avert a staffing crisis that threatens to overwhelm the sector, the union says.
The government says the rule is being introduced after a consultation and it is ‘vital that our most vulnerable receive protection’
From 11 November, it will become mandatory for all staff working in care homes to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they are exempt, in order to protect the residents and patients most at risk from the virus.
The government’s own predictions are that up to 40,000 of the more than half a million care workers in the country won’t be fully vaccinated by that date.
And UNISON says the government has no realistic plan to deal with staff shortages that the “draconian policy” could cause if workers do not take up the offer of the jab.
It adds that a number of workers who are hesitant about the jab or feel they are “being bullied” into being vaccinated are already leaving the care sector, and point to the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) own risk assessment estimation that mandatory vaccination could result in up to 70,000 care workers leaving their roles in industry.
But Downing Street says its view is that it is “vital that our most vulnerable receive protection” and therefore it is “right to introduce this requirement”.
The PM’s official spokesperson told reporters on Monday that there are “no plans” to change the September deadline for mandatory vaccinations for care staff, but that the DHSC “has mitigation plans”.
The government has repeatedly said it is introducing the regulation following an extensive public consultation.
UNISON says care home staff say they are ‘heartbroken’ to leave the profession, but feel the government is ‘coercing’ them into taking up the offer of a vaccine
The sector already has huge vacancy levels of over 110,000, UNISON says, noting that many care staff have expressed how “heartbroken” they are to have to leave professions they love due to feeling “totally undervalued”.
The union says mandatory vaccination has distracted time and resources from the core job of care and call for a cash injection into the sector to ensure care home staff are paid at least the real living wage of £9.50 an hour (£10.85 in London).
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said ministers should not be “coercing and bullying” people into taking up the offer of the jab.
“Vaccination remains the way out of the pandemic. But coercing and bullying people can never be the right approach,” she said.
“Ministers have been told repeatedly that using force instead of persuasion will fail. But they’ve not listened and now their ill-considered policy is backfiring.
“The government is sleepwalking into this disaster by not acting. Care is already a broken and underfunded sector that cannot afford to lose any more staff.
“The government must scrap the ‘no jab, no job’ rule now. Widespread care home closures could be the consequence if they ignore the warnings.
“This would be disastrous for elderly people and those who cannot live without care support.”
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Nigel Farage has confirmed he wants to deport women asylum seekers back to the Taliban in Afghanistan if he becomes prime minister.
The Reform UK leader’s position on the topic has not been clear, with him previously saying he would send women back to the fundamentalist regime that took over after western militaries withdrew, before now saying he would.
Mr Farage was speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby at the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham.
Politics live: Govt responds to Farage wanting early election
When asked if he would “detain” women and children and “send them back”, the Clacton MP said “yes”.
Challenged on when he said in August that he was not “discussing” women and children, Mr Farage claimed this was a reference to his desire to seeing men detained on arrival in the UK.
At the time he said he was “very, very clear” on the “deportation of illegal immigrants”, adding: “We are not even discussing women and children at this stage – there are so many illegal males in Britain, and the news reports that said that after my conference yesterday were wrong”
Speaking today, Mr Farage claimed that the UK has a “duty of care” if a four-year-old arrives in a dinghy, for example – but not so for women and men.
“For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women,” Mr Farage went on.
“Children, we’ll have to think about.”
The Reform leader also rowed back on his pledge to stop all boats within two weeks if he is elected prime minister.
Speaking to the conference yesterday, Mr Farage said: “You cannot come here illegally and stay – we will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”
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Watch Farage face questions on his tax affairs
But speaking to Beth Rigby today, he changed tack – saying “the passing of legislation” would be required.
He said the boats would then be stopped within two weeks, or sooner.
In the interview with Rigby, Mr Farage tried to claim he did not say he would end the boats within two weeks of “winning government”.
But the video of his speech, as well as the transcript released by Reform UK, clearly show him saying: “We will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”
When asked why he wouldn’t be able to stop the boats within two weeks of winning government, Mr Farage said it was impossible and “no one” can prevent them crossing the Channel.
The Reform UK leader said the law he wants to introduce will be called the Illegal Migration Act once it is passed by parliament.
He confirmed his agenda includes leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, shutting down asylum hotels and housing people at RAF bases instead, as well as deporting Channel migrants.
Mr Farage also claimed that deportation flights would also begin within two weeks of the law changing, and this combination of factors would stop people from wanting to travel from France.
This strategy all depends on Reform UK winning the next general election – which Labour does not have to call until 2029.
However, Mr Farage says he believes the government will collapse in 2027 due to economic pressure and other factors.
Reform are currently well clear of Labour and the Conservatives in the polling, and are targeting next year’s Welsh, Scottish and English local election to try and win more power in councils and national assemblies.
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