3 AUGUST 2016

$3 An Hour for Elderly Care Support ‘a Nonsense’

It is time the government stood up and paid a fair wage for home care workers like Kapiti woman Janet Lowe, says New Zealand First today.

Nearly 35,000 home care workers stand to be affected by Monday’s ruling where a Court of Appeal decision has overturned a previous Employment Court decision in favour of Mrs Lowe.

“The Appeal Court ruled that home care workers like Mrs Lowe could not technically be considered employees,” says New Zealand First Spokesperson for Labour and Industrial Relations Clayton Mitchell.

“We have the bizarre situation where workers who provide essential relief work in the homes of families looking after sick or aged relatives are not able to receive the bare minimum wage of $14.25 for their work.

“Mrs Lowe was receiving a paltry $3 an hour for the respite care she provided.

“Under the latest Appeal Court hearing this would be a legal payment considered only to be a subsidy and not a wage.

“New Zealand First believes this is nonsense and the government must pay home care relief workers the minimum wage for the vital work they do.

“Anything short of this would be an outrage,” Mr Mitchell says.

ENDS

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