HOMECARERS have launched a campaign against plans to cut their wages that they said will damage help for the elderly.

They claim City of York Council proposals, part of its Best Value programme, will leave staff underpaid and demoralised.

Public service union Unison said many carers would decide to work elsewhere, and be replaced by less committed workers.

Unison convenor Peter Household said home care staff are currently paid £5.27 an hour between 7am and 8pm on weekdays. On Saturday they receive 40 per cent more, with 90 per cent more on Sunday - but the new proposals would offer a rate of £5.93 for all hours worked.

He said: "Home carers are not brilliantly paid as it is and I have been told by some that they would pack in their jobs and go and work in a supermarket, where they can get better pay with a lot less stress.

"The long-term future I foresee is that the council won't get the quality of carers that they have now. People are already feeling that there are occupations with much less stress and better returns.

"I see in the future we will be having people applying with no commitment to the job, and that is bound to effect the vulnerable people who rely on the service."

The public campaign would include action such as lobbying of councillors.

Service users and their families are being urged to get involved.

Home care worker Jane Gilbert said: "We have given a commitment to work with the council to improve quality and meet new challenges, but all the council wants to do is cut our pay without paying attention to the impact this will have for our clients."

The Best Value project, an initiative set up by the Government to ensure council services are providing the best value for money, is looking at all areas of council work.

Chairman of the council's social services committee, Coun Bob Fletcher, said: "The idea is to provide the best value service for customers and council tax payers, to allow us to maximise service and provide the quality which people have a right to expect.

"It is unhelpful for Mr Household to make this sort of statement. We would rather discuss this in a sensible way.

"I don't accept that a different structure will affect the quality of service at all. We will get the same quality and service that we got in the past."