18 August 2014

National stands alone in opposing aged care funding boost

The Service and Food Workers Union has called on the National Party to match the commitment of other parties to lift aged care funding.

The SFWU represents thousands of low paid caregivers working in residential aged care.

The NZ Aged Care Association has today published the position of the six main parties on increased funding to the cash-strapped sector.

While Labour, the Green Party, NZ First, United Future, The Conservatives and the Maori Party all support funding an increase for aged care caregivers to be paid the same as their public hospital counterparts, National does not.

"The National Party has underfunded hard-working care staff for six years, opposed equal pay in the Court of Appeal and in doing so has shown itself to be no friend of the elderly," said SFWU aged care spokesperson, Alastair Duncan.

"The Prime Minister is tragically blind to the needs of thousands of carers, which suggests he just doesn’t care about the workforce or the elderly they care for.”

Alastair Duncan said the SFWU strongly welcomed the commitment from the other parties.

ENDS

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