Community and Care in Independent Union Organising of Paid Care Workers

Paid care work persists as a site of low pay, insecurity, and exploitation globally, with ‘decent work’ elusive. In England, the adult social care (ASC) workforce is fragmented, contributing to a lack of sectoral-level organising and collective bargaining. Consequently, industrial disputes in the sector are uncommon; however, they do occur. Based on a case study of an independent trade union, United Voices of the World, involving interviews with union staff and paid care workers, the article uses the lens of care to understand successful elements of a campaign to improve conditions at a London nursing home. Alongside this care focus, the article draws on sociological conceptualisations of ‘community’ to theorise what worked well in this case. This literature strengthens analysis of the union’s successful engagement with this group of workers, and how it sustained the campaign. The article presents one of few studies of paid ASC worker organising in England. It includes important insights on sociological notions of care, community, agency, and work orientations. These pertain to the ways they shape worker organising. The article augments the growing independent union literature through examining an employment sector not previously discussed in that context. In addition, it strengthens sociological understanding of the consequences of, and worker resistance to, societal undervaluation of care work. It concludes by summarising the implications and key learning from the case, including the prospects for wider organising of paid ASC workers.