CARE workers welcomed the Welsh government’s commitment today to pay them the real living wage.

All registered care staff will get the £9.90 hourly rate from next April, the Labour administration announced in its Budget on Monday night.

Typically, care workers in Wales currently earn the national minimum wage, which increased last April to £8.91 per hour.

The Cardiff Bay government has also committed to developing a national care service, a move backed by 72 per cent of the Welsh population, according to a Savanta ComRes poll commissioned by Unison.

The union urged the Welsh government to set up a separate climate and decarbonisation Budget, while reminding AMs that any cuts to public services will eventually place additional demands on the NHS.

Unison blasted the “continued unfairness” of low pay rises over the last decade for thousands of workers delivering vital public services in the NHS, councils and elsewhere, arguing that ministers must factor in funding for annual pay awards when formulating departmental budgets. 

Care worker Peter Garland welcomed the news of a pay rise, saying: “This will be a long-anticipated boost for tens of thousands of care workers in Wales, who are paid minimum wage for looking after our most vulnerable.

“Their work has been undervalued for a long time, but the commitment and professionalism they showed during the pandemic has woken up the public to the vital service they provide.

“It was not enough to clap them and we know that many will be so pleased that Welsh government has made this announcement.”

Unison Cymru Wales regional secretary Karen Loughlin added: “This is a welcome first step towards addressing the endemic poverty pay and poor conditions within the sector.

“And alongside the new commitment to work towards the establishment of a national care service, [the announcement] stands in stark contrast with the complacency and neglect shown by the Westminster government.

“Unison will now continue to work with the Welsh government to address these wider concerns, to improve the lives of tens of thousands of low-paid, mainly women workers in every community in Wales.”

The Budget also included an extra £893 million for the NHS in 2022, £384m for councils and significant support for businesses in retail, leisure and hospitality reeling from the pandemic.