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.”
Politics
Starmer and Zelenskyy discuss ending Russia’s ‘brutal war’ – as Putin says says he is open to bilateral talks on longer ceasefire
Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about ending Russia’s “brutal war” on Ukraine in their latest phone call on Easter Monday, as Vladimir Putin said he was open to bilateral talks.
The prime minister and Ukrainian president spoke on Monday afternoon, when Sir Keir “reiterated his iron-clad support for Ukraine“.
A Downing Street spokesperson added that the prime minister “said that the UK supports Ukraine’s calls for Russia to commit to a full ceasefire and that now is the time for Putin to show he is serious about ending his brutal war”.
“They discussed the latest developments on the Coalition of the Willing, and looked forward to further progress towards a just and lasting peace,” the spokesperson added.
Mr Zelenskyy later said on social media that he had a “good and detailed conversation” with the prime minister, and added Ukrainian officials will be in London for talks on ending the war with Russia on Wednesday.
“We are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace,” he added.
The Ukrainian president added that the 30-hour Easter truce, which both Kyiv and Moscow accuse the other of violating, showed that Russia “are prolonging the war”.
It comes as Mr Putin proposed bilateral talks with Ukraine on a longer ceasefire, which would mark the first time Russia held such talks since a failed peace deal soon after the invasion in 2022.
Speaking to a state TV reporter, the Russian president said: “We always have a positive attitude towards a truce, which is why we came up with such an initiative (the Easter truce), especially since we are talking about the bright Easter days.”
When asked about Mr Zelenskyy’s calls to extend the 30-hour ceasefire into a 30-day pause on civilian targets, he added: “This is all a subject for careful study, perhaps even bilaterally. We do not rule this out.”
The Ukrainian president said on Sunday evening that the Russian army had “violated Putin’s ceasefire more than 2,000 times” during the day, and accused Russia of “failing” to “uphold its own promise of a ceasefire”.
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From Saturday: Why Putin offered an Easter truce?
It also comes after Donald Trump has said he hopes Russia and Ukraine “will make a deal this week,” after he and his secretary of state Marco Rubio warned that the US will walk away from efforts to broker a peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress soon.
The US president said on his Truth Social platform that both countries would “start to do big business” with the US after ending the war.
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Last month, Ukraine accepted Mr Trump’s proposal for a 30-day truce, but Mr Putin refused to back a full 30-day ceasefire, saying crucial issues of verification had not been sorted out.
He then said he would agree not to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, both sides have accused each other of breaking the moratorium on attacks on energy targets and at sea.
Paul Atkins has officially been sworn in as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The April 21 announcement comes nearly two weeks after Atkins’ position was confirmed by the US Senate in a 52-44 vote on April 9.
“I am honored by the trust and confidence President Trump and the Senate have placed in me to lead the SEC,” Atkins said in a statement.
“As I return to the SEC, I am pleased to join with my fellow Commissioners and the agency’s dedicated professionals to advance its mission to facilitate capital formation; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and protect investors.”
Atkins is widely expected to lead a more crypto-friendly SEC than former chair Gary Gensler under the Biden administration.
He previously served as an SEC commissioner between 2002 and 2008.
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.
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