The Government’s announcement that it will enter pay
equity talks with unions representing mental health workers
is a positive move, says the Human Rights
Commission.
Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Dr
Jackie Blue says she is pleased to see that the previous
Government’s decision, to not include mental health
workers as part of the pay equity settlement, will be
addressed.
“The Government’s decision to negotiate
better pay outcomes for mental health and addiction workers
is a sign that the fortunes of our undervalued support
workers are changing. These are people who are assisting
some of our country’s most vulnerable – they absolutely
deserve to be paid fairly for their work.
“Last year’s
pay equity settlement was a life-changing moment for
aged-care workers, but leaving our mental health support
workers out of that settlement was a mistake.
“The
mental health sector is struggling to retain staff at a time
when their services are so desperately needed. I hope that
the outcomes of these negotiations deliver results that will
see the sector properly resourced,” Dr Blue
says.
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