We are delighted to announce that our first employer has signed up to the Care Workers Union (CWU): QualitCare, a nursing agency based in Portsmouth. Now that QualitCare have signed up to the CWU, they have committed to a set of standards which will ensure that the rights of their staff are protected to the greatest degree possible. They have also recognised the CWU for the purposes of collective bargaining under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. QualitCare’s employees have also signed up as members of the CWU, enabling the CWU to make a real difference and stand up for carers.
The benefits of signing up to a union as an employer are numerous. Recognising your employees’ union is a great step towards building a positive relationship with them, predicated on trust. It also gives you access to a high-quality talent pool from which to recruit, and to advice and training from other organisations on best practice. Recognising the CWU specifically is a fantastic opportunity for those who employ care workers. We are brand new, so you have the chance to influence our direction from the very beginning. Plus, we will ensure care organisations’ voices are also heard in the policy positions we take and the issues we campaign on, as care organisations will be able to participate in annual members’ conferences.
We are also partnered with CADRE, the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, a global network of over 250 experts in Alternative Dispute Resolution. This will be very useful for employees in helping them to avoid costly court procedures if ever an employee dispute arises. Through its partnership with CADRE, the CWU is able to prevent disputes at an early stage by installing systems that enable dialogue and promote informal resolution, and to stop disputes escalating by having an independent third-party resolve the dispute through mediation.
Other benefits of recognising the CWU are that you will be able to save time by negotiating with many workers at once through the Union representative, you’ll have an improved social image, and you’ll have the CWU lobbying team on your side if you need it. So far we have formally submitted a response to the government’s mandatory vaccinations consultation and twice written to the Health Secretary and Care Minister, once to alert them to the perfect storm facing care sector, and once on the impact of the fuel crisis on the care sector.
The CWU is the first union to exclusively represent care workers across the UK. Three other unions represent care workers – GMB, Unison, and Community – but only as part of a general representation of all workers across the labour market. The CWU is focussing all its resources on the specific, ever-evolving needs of care workers. We provide a personalised and high-quality service to care workers and their employees, among which are agencies like QualitCare. They will soon be able to testify to the benefits of signing up, and we are sure that more employees will soon follow their lead.
We encourage you to get involved with the Care Workers Union today and be a part of our exciting journey to care for carers!
