Exploring drivers and barriers to the real living wage movement in social care in Wales

Netana, Celia 2024. Exploring drivers and barriers to the real living wage movement in social care in Wales. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Work is no longer a guaranteed route out of poverty (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2004) and one in seven users of foodbanks are from working households (Trussel Trust, 2019). This has raised the question of what needs to be done to break that cycle especially in industries such as Social Care which is persistently low paid. A call for action has arisen. There’s no agreement of exactly what can or should be done or who should be responsible for doing it. The overarching interest of this study was to build understanding of how social change is being done in work related issues. This study explores efforts of the Real Living Wage movement in Social Care in Wales which is led by a civil society Community Organising network called Citizens Cymru Wales (CCW). This work aims to add to understanding on what drives those efforts forward as well as what holds them back. Academic interest in the RLW is positioned both in the Industrial Relations literature and literature around social justice and change. Drawing on that literature, the following three Research Questions were developed for this exploratory study: 1. Who are the different actors? 2. How does the RLW movement work within Social Care in Wales? How do different RLW actors interact? 3. What are key outcomes of RLW in Social Care from the perception of different actors? A mixed method research design has been used in order to best capture multiple perspectives from a sample of key actors across the movement. The researcher has embedded with the movement, training as a Community Organiser and has taken part in relevant campaigns as a Participant Observer. Data have also been generated from interviews from a broad sample of key actors within the movement and a dataset of RLW accredited employers. Key findings include contributions to the discussion around new actors in work related issues and the use of champions in the RLW movement. Additions to the discussion on the degree of collective action and engagement by key actors such as ii Trade Unions, Social Care providers, Social Care workers and Local Authorities are also offered. The fleeting nature of political leverage and of importance of involvement of people with lived experiences are also explored. Finally, the perspectives of outcomes of RLW efforts in Social Care in Wales are examined including ownership of success and the fragile nature of “wins” in civil society led movements.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	3 September 2025
Last Modified:	03 Sep 2025 14:13
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180856

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