Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Aged Care Minister Anika Wells after the Fair Work announcement . Picture : Supplied .
A step forward
Aged care workers set to receive pay rise .
By Eleanor Campbell and NCA NewsWire
Aged care workers are set to receive a 15 per cent interim pay rise after the Fair Work Commission ruled that existing pay did not “ properly compensate ” industry workers for their value .
The decision , handed down by the Commission in November , applies to workers involved in direct care for people in nursing homes , but won ’ t cover administrative staff or lifestyle workers .
Aged & Community Care Providers Association ( ACCPA ) chief Tom Symondson
said the “ substantial ” move was a step towards long-lasting reform .
“ A better-paid workforce means a higher quality of care for older Australians enabling them to live their best lives ,” Symondson said .
“ We note the decision does not cover staff not involved in direct care such as kitchen , laundry , recreation activities and administrative staff , and we look forward to a further decision by the commission which addresses their pay .”
The FWC said in their decision , which spanned more than 300 pages , that work in feminised industries had been traditionally undervalued .
It noted considerations for a pay increase for direct care workers and administrative staff will continue into the future .
“ We wish to make it clear that this does not conclude our consideration of the unions ’ claim for a 25 per cent increase for other employees , namely administrative and support and aged care employees ,” the report said .
“ Nor are we suggesting the 15 per cent interim increase necessarily exhausts the extent of the increase justified by work value reasons in respect of direct care workers .”
The Health Services Union , which launched its bid for a 25 per cent pay increase to the FWC two years ago , welcomed Friday ’ s decision but said a broader increase was needed to protect the workforce .
“ This is a reasonable start but we need the commission to go further and permanently end the poverty wage settings that dominate aged care ,” HSU president Gerard Hayes said .
“ Fifteen per cent is a down payment but nobody should be mistaken . This will not fix the crisis . We still have massive unfinished business in aged care .
“ Today represents progress , but the legal , political and industrial fight continues .”
The timing of the pay rise is set to be discussed in December , with the FWC to take submissions from the federal government and employers before handing down stages two and three of its decision . ■
Missing out
Non-care staff excluded from wage boost .
Aged care support staff say they feel “ insulted ” after being excluded from the Fair Work Commission ’ s interim decision to increase wages for direct workers in the sector .
In a highly-anticipated ruling made in November , the commission ordered 15 per cent pay increases for over 180,000 aged care nurses , AINs , personal care staff and home care workers .
“ We wish to make it clear that this does not conclude our consideration of the unions ’ claim for a 25 per cent increase for other employees , namely administrative and support and aged care care employees ,” the commission said .
“ Nor are we suggesting the 15 per cent interim increase necessarily exhausts the extent of the increase justified by work value reasons in respect of direct care workers .”
In its interim report , the commission said it had yet to decide on whether non-care workers , including kitchen staff , administrative workers and cleaners , would also receive a pay rise .
Aaron Wilson , who works as a maintenance manager in a nursing home in regional Victoria , said the decision left him and his colleagues feeling “ disgusted .”
“ They ’ re not acknowledging us . It ’ s like we don ’ t exist ,” Aaron told Aged Care Insite .
“ The carers look after the residents , but we do everything else . It doesn ’ t make sense .”
In its ruling , the commission said the timing of the pay rise will be discussed later this month after taking submissions from providers and the government .
Federal Labor has backed an increase to the minimum wage for aged care workers and said it was committed to funding Fair Work ’ s final decision .
Aaron , who has worked in the industry for over 20 years , says non-care staff are the backbone of aged care facilities and deserve to be acknowledged .
“ There ’ s the cleaners who do the laundry and and they wash residents clothes for them , and they iron them and put the back in their rooms ,” he said .
“ You ’ ve also got admin . They ’ re the ones who book the people in , who meet the residents and their families and do the paperwork before they even get in .
“ We ’ re the ones who clean floors and the toilets , if a lights broken - we fix it . To not to be acknowledged for the work , it ’ s like we don ’ t matter .” ■
2 agedcareinsite . com . au