Aged Care Companies’ Court Action Shameful

“What a shame that the first big movement we have seen on boosting the wages of aged care workers has been met by court action,” CTU president Helen Kelly said today.

Health Care Providers NZ was today in court for a judicial review of a contractual requirement for aged care providers to promote collective bargaining as a means to deliver money from Budget 2007 to aged care workers.

“Everyone agrees on the need for urgent change in the low wage rates in aged care, and the funding increase in this year’s budget is the biggest single one-off increase targeting aged workers in the last 20 years,” Helen Kelly said.

“This has been a huge boost to the sector. Fortunately many providers have welcomed the funding increases and are working constructively with unions to put in place collective agreements that will provide a framework to build up skills, training and qualification levels and sustainability in the sector.”

“Collective agreements are a way of ensuringthat Government funding gets to where it is intended. The mechanism in the service contract to promote collective bargaining is entirely consistent with international law and New Zealand employment law.”

“HCPNZ are spending all this money and effort on a judicial review to prevent the lowest paid workers in New Zealand getting the rightful increase that was promised to them by the Government,” Helen Kelly said.

ENDS

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