What will a Plaid Cymru government mean for care workers in Wales?

After winning the most seats – but not enough for an outright majority – Plaid Cymru have set out their intentions to run Welsh Government as a minority government.

This means they are likely to seek cooperation agreements from other parties to pass their policies.

In 2021, Welsh Labour took a similar route, leading to a cooperation agreement with Plaid Cymru on several key policies. It was through this process that the Welsh Government took on UNISON Cymru’s ask of establishing a National Care Service in Wales, work on which has developed significantly over the last 5 years.

Fair pay for care workers in Wales

The Plaid Cymru manifesto re-committed the party to paying the Real Living Wage top-up (currently £13.45) to care workers, but did not explicitly set out their commitment to delivering a collective pay agreement for care workers in Wales backed up by law. Ensuring a commitment to this must now be a campaign priority. 

Delivering a National Care Service

There was a renewed commitment to the phased implementation of a National Care Service in the Plaid Cymru manifesto, free at the point of need. However, UNISON Cymru would like to see an explicit commitment to this as a public service delivered free from profit like the NHS. Plaid Cymru has been supportive of the agenda to remove profit from childrens care, where company profits from local council contracts have been as high as 20%. 97% of UNISON Cymru social care members surveyed would support the removal of profit from the adult social care sector too.

Thousands of care workers vote in Senedd elections

Thousands of UNISON members from over 400 social care workplaces used UNISON resources to educate and move colleagues to vote for parties committed to raising pay for care workers in the Senedd elections.

Some of the UNISON members involved in this campaign were still not receiving the real living wage for care workers. All rely on Statutory Sick Pay, meaning a pay cut every time they fall sick. And many communicated their despair during this campaign at care workers being forced to leave the work they love because of the stress, low pay and poor conditions.

The big issues for care workers in this election

More than 500 care workers from 197 care employers took part in our listening campaign for a fair pay agreement in Wales last year.

A new national pay rate – backed up by law – of £15 an hour, and an improved sick pay scheme have consistently been the top two priorities for care workers since this listening campaign began.

Other top priorities of those surveyed so far include:

• Full payment for sleep in shifts at the new national rate.
• An improved pension scheme.
• The inclusion of travel and waiting time for home care staff at a new national rate.

Add your voice to this survey now