‘The government have made such swingeing cuts to council grants that forces social care providers into cutting pay and conditions. Many employees are now being paid below the minimum wage. That's because they are not being paid for travel time, use their own cars without being paid reasonable mileage rates and have to pay for mobile phones and uniforms,’ says Heather Wakefield, UNISON head of local government, in a Guardian report which examines the downward spiral of budget cuts, underfunded contracts and attacks on care staff wages – exemplified by the Future Directions dispute in Rochdale:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/22/council-funding-cuts-care-homes-minimum-wage
