Usdaw celebrates the contribution of working carers and calls on the Government to provide more support

Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “We are proud to support National Carers Week, an annual event highlighting the contribution unpaid carers make every day. We very much welcome this year’s theme ‘Building Carer Friendly Communities', which are places, spaces, services and community groups where unpaid carers are recognised, understood and valued. Trade unions have a crucial role in delivering that aim in the world of work.

"The vast majority of care in the UK is provided by family and friends, who make up the UK's 5.7 million carers, and without their willingness and ability to provide care, local authority social services and the NHS would collapse under the strain.

“In recognition of that, Labour has increased the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold by 35% since they were elected, to £204 per week, which means that full-time carers have been able to earn £53 more a week without losing their entitlement. This is a welcome step in reforming the support available to unpaid carers. 

“The Chancellor also committed to look at the ‘cliff-edge’ earnings threshold that results in the whole of the allowance being withdrawn where a carer’s earnings exceed it. Usdaw continues to call for an end to the unfair situation where earning a penny over the threshold means the entire benefit is clawed back.

“The vast majority of care in the UK is provided by family and friends. All too often, carers feel life is a pressure cooker of competing demands, with worries about money, time off work, their own health and that of the person they are caring for. With more people than ever providing care, we welcome the Government’s initial actions and Usdaw continues to call on Ministers to go further to properly reward the enormous contribution of carers.”