Almost 200 aged care workers have made a commitment to pursue protected strike action if their claims for better pay and working conditions are not met by their employers.
The 200 United Workers Union members represent 15,000 aged care workers from 10 providers and 170 aged care homes in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth including providers Allity and Helping Hand Aged Care.
United Workers Union aged care director Carolyn Smith said the two key issues were staff shortages and decent wages and working conditions.
“We’re bargaining with about 10 to 12 providers in different states and unfortunately workers are not seeing the results they want to see in terms of a fix for the chronic understaffing in aged care and a decent wage that they can live on,” Ms Smith told Australian Ageing Agenda.
Ms Smith said aged care workers were dealing with impossible workloads in physically and emotionally demanding roles.
“They are just struggling every day with the physical demands of the understaffing, but also with the emotional demands of just constantly having to say no when an older Australian says to them ‘will you sit with me?’ or ‘will you brush my hair?’” she said.
While the Health Services Union and Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation have launched work value applications with the Fair Work Commission to increase aged care wages by 25 per cent, the hearing is still seven months away.
“The government doesn’t need to wait for the Fair Work Commission to hand down a decision,” Ms Smith said.
“The government could just put the money in the system immediately or they could publicly commit to funding any increases that the Fair Work Commission finds.”
Many stakeholders highlighted that an increase in wages was one of the biggest elements missing from the May Budget and the government’s response to the royal commission’s final report.
The government said it noted the matter was before the FWC and that it would provide information as required but made no commitment to lift wages.
In a response to questions from AAA, a spokesperson from Allity agreed aged care workers were undervalued and underpaid, as highlighted by the aged care royal commission.
“Our staff deserve to be paid higher wages that reflect the value of the work they do. We share their frustration that it is taking so long for wage funding to come through from the Australian Government,” a spokesperson from Allity told AAA.
“Unfortunately, the Government’s Budget response in May to the royal commission did not include any funding to increase sector wage rates. Further, the Government has made clear that it will not facilitate any changes to wage rates until the Fair Work Commission has ruled on whether to increase sector wage rates next year,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said Allity was working with the Aged Care Workforce Industry Council to facilitate discussions and develop a consensus among stakeholders about the FWC application.
Allity is engaging staff and keeping them informed as discussions progress, the spokesperson said.
“While the FWC will take some time, we are confident this process will deliver increased rates of pay for our workers that reflect the value of the important work they do every day.”
Helping Hand Aged Care declined an offer to comment.
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Not before time care staff have perused every avenue to get a decent pay and work conditions for ever iff this is the only thing that can change this do it, care staff and nurses are always caught up in their consciences . They should be backed all the way I have spent my whole career in aged care fighting the cause. Do it.
It is not only in those 3 states it is also in Regional Victoria there are staff shortages and are also underpaid. It is deplorable the way the Aged Care System is set up for workers and Residents needs to be overhauled.
This cannot go on any longer, the current Government should of shown they cared for an Aged Care Crisis in May Budget, they Failed.. Now we will be strong and get the conditions residents need and Respect and Wage increase we deserve. So Strike it will be!!
I work both residential and community care. When I work nightshift I am caring for 31 residents on my own! How can I possibly provide everything to everyone all the time without burning out? Have been in the industry over 2 years and my body is already suffering under the high workload and pressure to keep to care plans without enough staff to do so?
This crisis has gone on long enough. This government is ignoring our most vulnerable Australians and Aged Care workers who are not paid a fair wage for the hard work they do everyday under unrealistic conditions. Its about time everyone realized Aged Care is in serious trouble. Aged Care is a matter for all of us. If we want to attract and retain quality staff we need to start valuing them.
We haven’t had a pay rise in 6 years no staff sometimes working with 3 staff in a 50 bed facility named one of the worst nursing home in Queensland. We need help they need to be accountable