As the lockdown eases, will the country and government forget the key workers? We are highlighting respected people who hope not.
But what should be done?
Now is the time to ask. To delay until immediate problems are under control sounds reasonable but isn’t. For 2 reasons:
1) the secret is out: everyone has seen who they depend on in a crisis, how hard they work and how much they are taken for granted
2) the problems can’t be “under control” while critical services are under-staffed and under-invested, key workers undervalued and insecure.
Resolution Foundation* proposes A new settlement for the low-paid: Beyond the minimum wage to dignity and respect. They say:
Half of frontline care workers are paid less than the real living wage, while estimates of those paid below the legal minimum wage vary between 20,000 and 160,000. Delivery drivers are regularly forced into self-employment, missing out on sick pay and the minimum wage.
They propose:
* A new settlement for the low paid, Resolution Foundation, June 2020. The foundation is an independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes.