Opal staff vote to stop work
The current wage offer doesn’t deliver competitive rates of pay, says NSW nurses union.
Nurses and care workers for Australia’s largest for-profit aged care provider Opal HealthCare have voted to take industrial action in a fight for better pay and conditions.
Members of the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association voted overwhelmingly this week – 92 per cent – in favour of overtime bans and work stoppages in a demand for an 18 per cent pay increase over three years to keep in line with inflation and help alleviate cost-of-living pressures.
“Our aged care nurses and carers work under extremely difficult conditions because of sector-wide staffing shortages. They feel like they can’t provide the dedication, attention and quality care residents deserve because of the workplace pressures,” NSWNMA general secretary Shaye Candish said.
“The current pay offer by Opal does not deliver competitive rates of pay that will help recruit and retain staff. The offer also doesn’t recognise the current economic climate and financial challenges being experienced by our aged care workers,” she added.
Opal HealthCare’s nurses and carers are currently voting on the national provider’s most recent pay and conditions offer – 9.75 per cent over three years for registered and enrolled nurses, and up to 10.2 per cent over three years for assistants in nursing. The voting period closes on Friday.
In May, staff voted down Opal’s original pay offer of 8.25 per cent over three years – the first time the provider’s nurses and carers had successfully voted down an enterprise agreement.
“They’ve now made history again, uniting to fight against Australia’s largest for-profit aged care provider by taking protected industrial action,” Ms Candish said.
NSWNMA members are also demanding Opal HealthCare meets its care minute requirements – currently 200 minutes per resident a day, including 40 from a registered nurse.
Ms Candish said greater accountability and transparency was needed by Opal HealthCare to meet its mandatory care minute target. “The latest care minutes quarterly data from the Department of Health and Aged Care shows 20 out of Opal’s 47 facilities did not meet their registered nurse care minutes targets, while 42 did not meet their total care minute targets,” Ms Candish said.
Union members are also protesting against Opal’s resistance to increasing sick leave. “Opal is also not coming to the table on our request for sick leave to be increased to 20 days, and instead insists on sticking to the legal minimum of 10 days per year,” Ms Candish said.
Opal HealthCare has 47 facilities across NSW including 26 sites in metropolitan Sydney, as well as facilities on the Tweed Coast, the Central West, the Hunter, Riverina, South Coast and Central Coast. f
Opal nurses and carers are planning to commence industrial action as early as next week.
Meanwhile, Bolton Clarke staff are also participating in industrial action, with nurses and personal care workers joining stop-work rallies at various sites throughout August and September.
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