PSA MEDIA RELEASE
February 11, 2009
For Immediate Use
Government needs to start valuing disability support workers

“If the government is serious about improving the lives of people with disabilities it needs to start valuing the workers who provide vital support for disabled New Zealanders,” says PSA National Secretary, Richard Wagstaff.

The government has announced that it is setting up a Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues to be chaired by the Minister of Disability Issues, Paula Bennett. This will look at ways of improving support for people with disabilities and is the government‘s response to a
select committee report into care for people with disabilities.

The PSA has 2500 members supporting disabled people living in community houses and in their own homes.

“In our view the most effective thing the government can do to improve the lives of those with disabilities to ensure that more of the money it puts into the disability sector gets to the workers in the sector,” says Richard Wagstaff.

“Despite being multi-skilled, disability support workers are underpaid for the difficult and demanding work they do,” says Richard Wagstaff.

This was proven by a job evaluation that compared the work they do with therapy assistants working with physiotherapists and speech therapists at public hospitals. The evaluation showed that the jobs are of equal value in terms of the knowledge, skills and demands required to do the work.

“Yet disability workers are paid thousands of dollars a year less than health assistants,” says Richard Wagstaff.

Disability workers also work demanding hours. Those supporting people with severe disabilities are required to provide 24-hour care, seven days a week.

“The low pay and demanding working conditions means the disability sector has high staff turnover and struggles to find enough workers to maintain services to the disabled,” says Richard Wagstaff.

“The government should be well aware of the difficulties the disability sector faces because they were highlighted in the social services select committee report into care for people with disabilities,” says Richard Wagstaff.

One of the committee’s key recommendations is for the government to establish a strategy for improving pay rates, working conditions and training for workers in the disability sector.

“We say the government should make this a priority as it would help reduce the huge staff turnover in the disability sector which employers say is reaching a crisis point,” says Richard Wagstaff.

ends

© Scoop Media