United Voice News
Aged Care Workers Need Their Fair Share
In advance of Monday’s Productivity Commission’s report release, Caring for Older Australians, United Voice, the aged care union, emphasised its position that the union will only support aged care reform if the reforms include proactive solutions for aged care workers to finally get their fair share.
“I’ve worked in aged care for nearly a decade. I’m dedicated to my job, but it’s heartbreaking,” Beverley Watkinson, a personal carer in Brisbane said. “Sometimes I’m the only person a client will see all day. If someone spends all day excited about getting to see you, you want to be able to enjoy that little bit of the time with them.”
“But, I only have a set time with a client, sometimes as little as 10 minutes. If I don’t keep to the schedule, I get a tongue lashing from my boss. I’ll always choose to get yelled at. I know that after I leave, the client will just spend the day all alone,” Ms Watkinson said.
“In spite of the important work I do, and my years of experience, I only get paid a little over $19 an hour. Because we’re paid so little, I’ve seen workers leave the job on a regular basis. It’s hard when the work and responsibility keep increasing, but the pay doesn’t change.”
Currently, there are around 304,000 workers in aged care. Studies show that by 2050, 827,100 workers will be needed. This means the aged care industry will need to find more than 500,000 workers to care for an ageing population.
“With such demanding work and low wages, where will these additional workers come from?” Sue Lines, Assistant National Secretary of United Voice said. “Carers in aged care recognise the importance of their work, and they want to give the best quality care. But, workforce with a turnover of 25%, it’s hard to guarantee that workers like Beverley will be able to afford to stay in the sector and do the job they love.”
“Monday’s Productivity Commission report must find solutions to the problems in aged care—unliveable wages, intense workloads, poor hours and the lack of recognition for the important work being done. How can you ensure that workers will stay working in aged care when they only make $18.06 an hour—and that’s with a Certificate III qualification?”
