United Voice News
Aged care workers to stage four hour walk out over lousy offer
Low paid aged care workers on shift at one of the two Carinya of Bicton aged care facilities will walk off the job for four hours on Saturday, January 15, in protest at a paltry pay and conditions offer from management.
The strike will begin at 7am and Labor Senator Louise Pratt will show her support for the workers by visiting their protest outside the Carinya on Bristol site at 9.30am.
LHMU members at the facility voted in favour of taking up to 12 hours of industrial action last Friday after months of frustrating negotiations with the provider.
The deal offered by Carinya features a pay rise for the most experienced aged care workers which amounts to just 26c by 2013. Carinya are also proposing to give staff only five weeks of annual leave with an extra one week if they work different shifts in a fortnight. This is compared to the majority of aged care workers in WA who get six weeks leave and an extra week if they work different shifts.
"Fairer deal"
Carolyn Smith, assistant secretary of the LHMU said: “All these workers want is a fairer pay and conditions deal which will bring them in line with the rest of the industry but Carinya are refusing to be reasonable.
“The decision to take industrial action has not been an easy one for these members because residents are always the top priority for them. This is the absolute last resort after months of frustrating negotiations and two years without a pay rise.
“They feel they must take a stand for fairer wages and conditions because ultimately this will have great benefit for the people they care for. If they treated their staff better, this aged care facility would find it has a better chance of retaining experienced and highly-skilled workers, which ultimately will improve the care of and the day-to-day lives of the residents. Currently their staff turnover is horrendously high.
"Two speed economy"
“These workers deserve much more than what management are currently offering. Carinya of Bicton will argue that their offer is a large percentage increase on the modern award rates that a minority of workers there are earning. The reality is that their rise is a pittance for the vast majority of workers who are already struggling in this state’s two speed economy with huge utility increases.
“This coupled with the lower annual leave will further encourage high levels of staff turnover at Carinya of Bicton sites. This is never good for maintaining high levels of care for the residents.
“Aged care is very intensive and demanding work and the people who do it deserve to be paid more fairly for it. The issues at Carinya of Bicton illustrate the difficulties faced by thousands of workers across the industry.”
Workers at Carinya have the support of residents and their families as well as local federal MP Melissa Parke who wrote to union members there just before Christmas.
The members are allowed to take more action within 30 days of the original ballot on January 7, if they decide to.
