6 July 2020

Jews and Muslims in Barnet got together at a care home to bless those who work there and demand a real Living Wage for the care sector.

The group, who are all members of Citizens UK in Barnet, recited a special joint prayer for the carers at Kenwood Care Home to say thank you for their excellent work looking after local residents during COVID-19.

They were led by Rabbi Rebecca Birk of Finchley Progressive Synagogue and Abubakar Ali, chair of the Somali Bravanese Welfare Association.

The blessing was part of the #LivingWage4KeyWorkers campaign being led by Citizens UK, which calls on the UK Government to provide a £1.4 billion cash boost to bring workers up to the real Living Wage.

Rebecca (pictured far left) said: “The last few months have shone a spotlight on care workers in nursing homes and in the NHS. Now is the time to call on the government to insist on a real Living Wage for those that care for people we love, so they can live and work with dignity too.”

Abubakar (pictured far right) added: “Carers are the hidden heroes in our communities. But too often they are not paid enough to live on. We must pay our carers properly if we want to keep the wonderful work they are doing”.

The real Living Wage is considered to be £9.30 an hour and £10.75 in London. The Citizens UK campaign is backed by the Archbishop of York and Bishop of Durham alongside other faith, civil society and trade union leaders.