You can earn more working for IKEA than in social care ... Labour wants to fix that

A FAIR pay deal for care staff will help fix our creaking NHS, Angela Rayner says.

- MIKEY SMITH

The Deputy Prime Minister claims the proposal is the "jewel in the crown" of the Employment Rights Bill now going through parliament.

Labour's fair pay agreement for care workers will help fill some of the 130,000 job vacancies in the sector.

It would mean a million care workers and unions could come together to negotiate better pay, terms and conditions.

And it will also enable those with complex needs to be cared for in their own homes rather than in hospital, saving the NHS a fortune.

Ms Rayner spoke as we joined her on a visit to IKEA which has been praised for committing to a living wage for all employees and championing workers' rights.

The Deputy PM, a former carer herself, pointed out that people are getting paid less for looking after the vulnerable than those working for retailers like the Swedish flat-pack furniture giant.

"People can work in IKEA for a lot more than they do for giving personal care to people in their own homes," she said.

"That's created a crisis in our NHS because we've got an ageing population with more complex care needs and we don't have the care workers in the community.

"The frustration for me is that people haven't grasped that.

I don't know if that's because it's a predominantly female sector that was considered manual work before.