United Voice

Union members know they should be able to bargain collectively with their providers for wages and conditions that suit their circumstances and which leave workers with a better deal than the minimum in the award and the legislation.

Under WorkChoices some aged care providers simply dictated wages and conditions. The Labor governments new Fair Work Act improves the bargaining system by:

• Getting rid of dodgy agreements like Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA’s)
• Providing a stronger safety net as well as the  National Employment Standards (NES) to provide a better starting point for negotiations
• Making sure workers can join together in a union and negotiate with their boss for fair wages and conditions
• Making sure that aged care workers can be represented by union delegates and officials at the negotiation table
• Giving union members the power to work together with their boss to negotiate better funding arrangements through the Low Paid Bargaining system, and
• Ending gender discrimination in aged care through Pay equity cases.

Despite the improvements made by the Fair Work Act, LHMU members know that the system under which we work still isn’t fair and is not keeping up with the needs of the aged care system or the people we care for.

Under WorkChoices, our ability to get fair wages and conditions was made very difficult because employers could threaten to use dodgy agreements like AWA’s. If re-elected, Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party have indicated they would rather see workers compete with each other for hours and wages. We know that’s what Abbott will do because that’s what they did last time they were in government, and every time they are in government.

LHMU aged care members are the first workers to use the new Low Paid Bargaining powers of the Fair Work Act, lodging the application to begin sector-wide bargaining for professional wages for residential aged care members on Monday 10 May 2010.

LHMU Delegate and residential aged care worker Kerri Anderson is hopeful the Low Paid Bargaining stream of the Fair Work Act will allow members to negotiate fairer wages and conditions for aged care workers.

“The biggest problem is staffing levels,” Kerri said.

“But it won’t matter if we fix staffing levels if the pay is so low that workers don’t want to work here. More staff, with decent pay means a better quality of life for elderly Australians. They deserve it!

“People are dying of loneliness in aged care. Our workloads are so high and we just don’t have enough time for them,” she said.

Key claims like decent pay will go a long way to creating better jobs for aged care workers and the quality care residents deserve.

Personal Carers in the Community are also very excited about the Pay Equity case that members hope will end the gender pay gap in aged care.

Heather Jackson, a Community Carer and LHMU Fair Share Ambassador thinks enough is enough when it comes to aged care workers getting less than everyone else just because we are mostly women.

“I know that the Coalition stole the wages increase that child care members won though pay equity, we can’t let Tony Abbott steal the chance for fair pay from us,” Heather said.

“I’m hopeful the Labor Government’s recognition of issues within the childcare industry transfer across to the issues we have in aged care, like workloads issues, ratio’s, low wages and the retention of staff, which are very similar.”

Download your copy of the ACTU's 'Bargaining for the modern economy' factsheet here.