They say ignorance is bliss. They, whoever they are, were right. I shouldn’t have read Carers UK’s report on carer poverty, it made me sad and filled me with rage. Not knowing how to react, my brain decided to make me swear in French (my default rage setting) all the way through reading it.
The report highlighted that:
- 1.2 million unpaid carers live in poverty, and 400,000 live in deep poverty in the UK.
- Two-thirds (67%) of unpaid carers who receive Universal Credit live in poverty – around 900,000 carers.
- The poverty rate is more than double for those providing more than 35 hours of care per week (43%), compared to people who are not unpaid carers (18%).
Merde, c’est pas possible!
We don’t deserve this. Being driven into poverty for providing care the government should is criminally unfair. The words ‘economically inactive’ caught my eye – this insidious wording implies that all the work carers do doesn’t matter. We’re just keeping people alive over here, not making more money for big corporations, so we don’t matter. The (literally) vital work most of us don’t want to do doesn’t deserve compensation.
Putain de merde!
We’re forced into a kind of caring servitude that can ruin lives. Think I’m being dramatic? Let’s look at the facts:
- We are not paid for our work – some of us can claim the Carers’ Allowance of £81.90 per week. You try living off that.
- Our labour is forced – we do it because we have to, not because we want to.
- We’re not free to leave- if we do, the people we care for will most likely die.
- We’re on call 24/7 – no breaks, weekends or holidays.
Sounds like servitude to me, non? The government is, at the very least, enabling this situation. And nobody cares, because it is easier not to think about it and nobody wants to believe they are at risk of becoming an unpaid carer.
Incidentally, if we called our situation ‘carer servitude’ rather than the more gentle ‘unpaid carer’, we might get a bit more attention. Even if it was to say we’re exaggerating , it would at least start a debate.
I’ll leave you with Jane’s words in the report:
‘I am working really hard, harder than most people work three
times the jobs that they’re doing in the hours. So why can’t we just be recognised for that. I’m unable to work because of my caring role.
So pay me a wage. If I could go to work, I would, but I can’t. Economically inactive. I’d like to see them try and do what we do…‘
P.S: Notice I didn’t say ‘sacré bleu‘ – no French person says that, not even ironically.
Number Eighteen, in the corner 
One response to “Carer servitude”
A brilliant piece of fact and journalism, but you are right nobody cares as we have no rights. We are the invisible army of children, men and women who do not exist people don’t give us a second thought, unless you live our lives. Our ICB Integrated Care Board NHS visited last week and asked how I cope with two people in wheelchairs. I replied what is the option, she had none. I don’t watch BBC Children in Need. I cant, as this promotes the fact that it is ok to use very young children to provide care to siblings or even adults. Is this not a form of grooming by the state, their childhood they carry more responsibilities than they should. And by the time it’s time for their lives to take flight they feel guilty as they have caring responsibilities.
We are not a free resource, let me tell you nobody choses to work 24 hours each day every day, week, month, year.
We are the hardest working population in the country full of very clever artistic wonderful people. We are a skilled workforce which the NHS and Social services depends on. If we are lucky to get funded to bring carers in most agencies cant do what we do every day.
When you reach pension age Carer allowance is withdrawn as its considered a benefit.
Answer me, why do agencies charge £34.00 hour per carer , and then only pay what they can get away with to the employee and yet the public bodies chose to pay them public money rather than pay us a living wage.
Son said something funny to me other day “Mum you will have to do what the Queen did” “I responded what I am going to get servants and live in a palace”, “No” he replied “you going to have to die on the Job. It took a severely disabled man to consider my options . He meant no offence and loved the Queen.
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