'I constantly work overtime but rely on credit cards': The front line Covid staff and their two year fight for a living wage

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

As a care worker in Salford , Yemi Opere often finds himself working overtime just to make ends meet.

The 36-year-old can spend days apart from his young children so he can earn enough to support them.

His long hours and low pay has forced him to rely much of his spending on credit cards.

But, along with thousands of others in the industry, his struggles are finally set to ease with the Real Living Wage.

Salford City Council has announced it will commit to paying all social care workers in the city the increased wage from April 1.

The pay increase will benefit over 4,000 care workers in Salford and will increase salaries to £9.90 per hour.

Yemi believes the announcement is finally a step in the right direction.

READ MORE: ASDA flooded with praise for using mum-of-two with stretchmarks to model its lingerie

“I have two children and a partner and they know what it’s like for me not to be at home,” he said.

“We work all those hours and it’s not been reflected in our pay. It’s been a long process.

“I’m overjoyed and happy that it’s finally going in the right direction.

“It’s nice to get recognition for the work we’re doing. In this line of work, you don’t get much praise or recognition, it’s not easy to come by.

“With inflation and interest rates going out, our pay hasn't really mirrored that.

“It's always stagnant and has stayed the same.

“As a result of that, it's put pressure on me having to put stuff on credit cards. Now I won't have to rely on them as much.

“Having the uplift will give me more comfort in being able to provide for my family and have a better quality of life.

“I give my residents high-quality support, so it’s nice I’m able to do that for my family and ease the pressures.”

Care worker Paul Downs, who