Time for equal pay for aged care workers
Release date: 1/02/2012
Wage rises for community sector workers could pave the way for Australia’s underpaid aged care workforce to also achieve pay equity, according to the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF).
ANF Federal Secretary, Lee Thomas, said she applauded the full bench of Fair Work Australia’s ruling that workers in the community and disability sectors would receive wage increases of between 19 and 41 per cent.
But she added: “Whilst the ANF welcomes the decision, we are currently reviewing the ruling as we continue to be concerned that thousands of workers in Australia’s under-resourced aged care sector have been left out.
“This ruling has been hailed as a victory for pay equality for women, but the fact remains that in the aged care sector, where women up more than 90 per cent of the workforce, nursing and care staff are still getting paid significantly paid less than they deserve.
“Nurses in aged care are paid between $168 and $300 on average less per week than nurses working in hospitals.
“So whilst the ANF welcomes the decision to order pay increases, we are asking the Gillard Government to be consistent and also address the wage disparity experienced by workers in aged care.”
The ANF is urging the Government to inject $500 million to close the wages gap in aged care – with an extra 20,000 nursing staff required to meet the demand of Australia’s rapidly ageing population.
“We are calling on the Prime Minister to honour her commitment of fixing aged care - by making Budget 2012, the aged care Budget,” Ms Thomas said
The ANF is now one of Australia’s fastest-growing unions, with more than 214,000 members, including nurses, midwives, assistants in nursing and students.
The ANF, with over 214,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing in Australia.
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