A pregnant carer has told how she worked through the pandemic without PPE and with a heavier workload than was safe for less money than she would have got working in a shop.
Tamara Beattie, a GMB rep, backs the campaign for £15 an hour but is also keen to have better training and career progression written into the National Care Service mandate.
Tamara, who was 31 weeks’ pregnant with her first child Aurora, now nine months old, said: “It was the worst time of my life.
"At first they said pregnant women weren’t at risk and, because there wasn’t enough staff, I was doing a heavier workload than I should have. I should never have been put in that position.
"As well as Covid it was in the middle of flu season and sometimes there were two carers for 30 residents.
"People are putting in sick lines due to the stress of there not being enough staff. Staffing should be the No1 priority.”
Eventually Tamara was suspended on full pay on medical grounds because her bosses couldn’t provide a safe environment for her to work in.
She is about to return after maternity leave.
She added: “I am in care because I love my job. The pay certainly didn’t entice me in.
"At £9.50 an hour for all the responsibility, I would be better working in a shop where there is much less stress and more pay.
"It is a broken system."
