UNISON has accused social care companies in Wales of not passing on to workers a wage increase promised by the government.

The public-sector union urged care workers in Wales to ask their employers if they are receiving the real living wage and to check their wage slips to ensure they are receiving the increase promised to them.

The Welsh government pays for care services to elderly, disabled and other people in need, which are provided by care companies, and after a campaign by Unison, the Welsh government agreed to fund the real living wage of £9.90 for all care workers from April, with the first payments due in June.

The union said that the decision is a first step to improving pay for the mainly female care workforce, many of whom it says suffer in-work poverty.

Community support worker Denise Thomas, who works in Cardiff, said: “At the beginning of the pandemic, everyone came together to clap for carers.

“It’s only fair that workers in the care sector receive recognition by getting a pay rise that will allow them to absorb the increase in the cost of living.

“The sector works hard caring for the most vulnerable in our society, and it’s about time that we support those who often work 24-hour shifts with pay that equals the work that they do.”

Unison Cymru care lead Mark Turner said that workers should contact [email protected] for help, making the point that care workers throughout Britain feel undervalued and exploited.