Dear Theresa May,
It’s great that you’ve noticed all of those “just about managing” – or Jams – out there. Here in the social care sector we know all about Jam, although a more accurate acronym might be Nam: “not always managing”.
The reason we’re not always managing is because we’ve faced year upon year of cuts which have resulted in frozen or reduced wages, an increasing workload as we’re asked to do more for less and a correspondingly high turnover of staff.
On a more personal level, for my colleagues not always managing means always being on the brink of financial disaster where an unexpected bill or an unforeseen expense is likely to push them over the edge. It can mean having to do without “luxuries”, such as new shoes or dental care. It can sometimes mean running out of money before payday for things like gas and electricity or even food.
Being a Nam can really wear you down. One of my colleagues said when he took a different career path that he was leaving his job in social care because he was “sick of being poor”.
The funny thing is, although you’ve only just noticed us Jams or Nams or whatever else you want to call us, we’ve been around for a long, long time. If you wanted to choose a point in the social care sector where Jams started turning into Nams, it would be when social care jobs began to be privatised. That’s when the race to the bottom in regards to social care pay levels really began. I just wondered if at the time, or in any of the intervening years, you ever raised any objections to these “efficiency” savings, which resulted in people being paid subsistence wages.
So Mrs May, it’s nice to know you’ve noticed all us Jams and Nams out there, it’s just a pity it didn’t happen a couple of decades ago.
The Social Life Blog is written by people who work in or use social care services. If you’d like to write for the series, email socialcare@theguardian.com with your ideas.
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