A Golders Green care home is increasing workers’ pay to the London Living Wage, following staff protests.
Sage Care Home, in Golders Green Road, will lift its wages to at least £11.05 per hour from December 1.
Care workers, domestic and maintenance staff will see a minimum pay rise of 11%. Other workers’ wages will rise from 5%.
United Voices of the World (UVW) described the move as a “huge win for pandemic heroes”. For more than a year the trade union has led strike action, as it has called for an end to “poverty pay”.
Sage denied the change is a result of the union campaign, but instead the care home’s “stronger financial position” amid its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Bile, a senior care worker at Sage, said: “We went above and beyond to stand for what we deserve.
“We know that none of us acting alone can achieve success and we understand that there is still a way to go. We need to correct the legacy of past injustice and insist upon the will to change.”
Petros Elia, general secretary for UVW, said the move shows “collective action does work”, while Ali Treacher, secretary for Care And Support Workers Organise, said the “ripple effects will be felt far beyond north London”.
A spokesperson for Sage Care Home said: “Sage has always said that once we begin to see a rise in admissions and admissions enquires that we would increase pay.
“Happily, over the last few weeks, Sage has slowly begun to recover from the effects of the pandemic and as we start to fill up the empty beds and move into a stronger financial position the trustees have prioritised upholding their promises of increasing pay levels and rates.”
Sage said UVW had undermined its efforts over pay and taken away time and resource from running the home.
“Despite this, we remain committed to providing the best possible care for our residents and want to thank all our staff for their continued hard work and dedication to the home,” its spokesperson added.
Sage is a care home for the Jewish community with a capacity of 60 residents. An inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this year said it “requires improvement”.
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