United Voice News
Home care workers win 4%
Some 98% of LHMU members in home care have voted 'yes' to a new agreement with the NSW Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care (DADHC) that gives them 4% a year pay rises over the next three years (12.48% over three years cumulative).
Pay rises are back dated to 1 September 2008 when the old agreement expired.
LHMU delegate and Macarthur Branch home care worker Christine Case says home care workers are 'very happy' about the pay rise win. 'The pay rise is good, because we definitely deserve more,' Christine says.
More guaranteed hours for care workers
The new agreement provides more guaranteed hours for home care workers, giving members better income security in these uncertain times. The change to the agreement means home care workers who are now on very low contract hours can go on to higher contracts. Over time, the new contract bands will be filled with an expression of interest process.
LHMU NSW Branch President Jim Lloyd says this is a 'breakthrough' for LHMU members in home care. 'More care workers on higher contracts is a big step in the right direction. What we wanted was for more people to be working a higher number of guaranteed hours and that is what the new agreement aims to do,' Jim says.
Christine says the change is important to her because it would ultimately mean that she would get more guaranteed hours. 'I always wanted to be full-time. But I found with the [current contracts], they kept us on the borderline of our contract hours, eg working between 65 to 70 hours,' Christine says.
Jim says the win was achieved mainly through the strength of the members in home care. 'It's a credit to the members and delegates who worked hard on this agreement,' he says. 'We got a good result from DADHC because of the strong support from care workers.'
The Industrial Relations Commission approved the new award on 9 June.
LHMU will conduct information sessions on the new agreement from mid-June through to the end of August. DADHC will pay care workers for attending these compulsory information sessions. Are you a care worker and want to know more? Talk to your branch delegate or call the member service centre on 1800 805 027.
