Meanwhile, back at the homestead, carers continue to struggle to cope with a demanding job for which they are not paid. Where is the campaign for a carers trade union ? Well, we are still struggling on at Carer Watch. Join us.http://carerwatchdotcom.myfineforum.org/sutra3564.php#3564
The government Green Paper on caring may become a White Paper one day and we need to do our best to influence it while we may. The Carer Watch group will shortly be producing their response to it and I can hardly contain my excitement ! For me, the salient issue is the proposal to move carers from the pathetic Carers' Allowance to the obnoxious Job Seekers' Allowance. This would apply to all carers, regardless of the hours they work, apart from the likes of me who are too ancient. What an absurdity and what an insult. So caring 24/7 is not a job already ? Those carers who are exhausted and made ill by all the hard work, the stress and depression, don't already have a job ?
All of this in a situation of rising unemployment where jobs are increasing hard to come by even for those who don't actually have one and are desperately seeking employment. It's all about social control. We may not have a job for you. You are obviously overwhelmed with work already, even to the point of desperation and despair, but the principle of you being not only being available for work but actively seeking it must be upheld. If you don't get paid a wage then you are not working already. If you are not employed then you don't get paid a wage. Carers can't win under the present set up.
It is important, I think, to campaign for carers to become public employees, because caring is a social responsibility. Using the individual budgets of carees to employ carers, potentially creates lots of problems. We clearly need a trade union to campaign for carers employment and other rights, so why haven't we got one ?
There are plenty of difficulties for sure, but carers could have their own trade union. It's about organisation. But it's not just about organisation. It's also about caring enough. Carers don't yet care enough about themselves and their situation to get themselves organised.
2 comments:
>It is important, I think, to campaign for carers to become public employees, because caring is a social responsibility. Using the individual budgets of carees to employ carers, potentially creates lots of problems.<
But so does bringing the government into the home in quite such an intrusive way. As employees, our homes would be subjected to health and safety regulations, cleanliness inspections, we carers would undergo forced police checks (and what would happen if we had previous convictions?) - it's an Orwellian vision that doesn't fit with the notion of "an Englishman's home is his castle" nor with the demands of the disability rights movement that people should choose their own carer.
I've been caring for many years too, and I just don't share this vision. The government is not benign - the government is intrusive and controlling. I choose not to work for it.
Hi Excalibur
Nice to hear from you again, unlike the previous abusive comment from the notionally anonymous Mr A, which I was unable to publish because others were mentioned. How he imagines that he could possibly be mistaken for anyone other than himself is difficult to comprehend. His style is inimitable.
There is clearly a political difference between us. I am a democratic collectivist, not a libertarian. For me it is government of the people, by the people for the people. It is OUR government. I don't think that FPTP makes for a very accountable government, that is true. I favour STV in multi-member constituencies. Moreover, the present plutocracy should be replaced by democratic control of the economy. Nevertheless, our ostensible democracy is democratic in principle. It is OUR government. We are the government.
I don't advocate revolution, but an extension of democratic practice to all corners of society.
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