First child care workers, now aged care workers

[bluecat*dancing]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-12/no-pay-rise-for-aged-care-workers-after-coalition-scraps-labor...

Thousands of aged care workers will miss out on an expected pay rise after the Federal Government dumped a $1.2 billion fund set up by Labor.

The Workforce Compact would have given workers a 1 per cent pay rise on top of award increases.

The Government halted the scheme in September and this morning used its numbers in Parliament to dump the fund altogether.

The move comes just days after the Coalition scrapped a $300 million fund to give pay rises to childcare workers, describing the Labor scheme as a "union slush fund".

Assistant Minister for Employment Luke Hartsuyker says the aged care scheme was "unionism by stealth".

"Less than 1 per cent of aged care providers had applied for the supplement as at 26 September 2013, as the majority of aged care providers were not willing to apply for the supplement," he said.

"It was never going to reach the majority of aged care workers."

While the Government was expected to scrap the scheme, today's parliamentary tactics took many by surprise.

The Government interrupted the parliamentary schedule to move the motion to disallow the Workforce Compact, giving the Opposition little notice before the motion was debated.

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke was furious, saying standing orders should only be suspended if the matter is genuinely urgent.

"It's an urgency the Government has discovered within the last 24 hours, it's an urgency that the Government has discovered without consultation with the aged care sector, without consultation with the people to be impacted by this," he said.

"As I understand it, we're talking about a sector that has something like a 40 per cent turnover in its staffing."

The Opposition's spokesman on ageing, Shane Neumann, says it is a shameful act.

"There are 350,000 workers in the aged care sector who will discover that they will not get the pay rises, the better working conditions they deserve and need," he said.

"This is a very retrograde, tragic and shameful act by the Abbott Coalition Government, which was supposed to be a government of no surprises.

"Well, it's going to be a surprise to a lot of aged care workers and stakeholders."

Mr Neumann says the pay rise would have helped the rapidly growing aged care sector attract and retain workers.

The Government says it will work with the sector in coming months to work out how to use the money in a more targeted way.

[bluecat*dancing]

What a shameful government we have.

[izabsmiling]

it's really bad bluecat

I think those 2 policies were released and in a limited way (quiety)  ...after blackout ?

[the_great_she_elephant]

If I manage to hang in there for another 10-15 years I guess I won't have to worry about voluntary euthanasia - the LNP will have made it mandatory for pensioners

[izabsmiling]

Sept 6,2013

A Coalition government would seek to slow or abandon requirements for childcare centres to lift staff numbers in child-to-staff ratios and employ more highly qualified workers.

The Coalition posted its childcare policy on its website late on Thursday, without issuing a press release or making an announcement.

In a shift from the Coalition's previous public position, the document says it would work with state and territory governments to slow down implementation of changes which require centres to lift the ratio of staff to children. It would also seek state and territory agreement to pause requirements for higher staff qualifications.

The Coalition's aged care policy – also published online late on Thursday without an announcement – makes clear it will take a similar approach to wages in aged care, ending a $1.2 billion Labor scheme to lift wages in that sector, and returning the money to the general aged care funding pool.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/late-coalition-policy-seeks-to-reduce-c...

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/late-coalition-policy-seeks-to-reduce-c...

[bluecat*dancing]

It must be demoralising for these workers to be treated as if the job they do is so unimportant.

[purple_haize]

Both my daughter and her husband are age care nurses. The hospital where my daughter works, they are aways wanting staff, so many leave and there is not enough nurses as it is, to care for patients that are in high care.

Now with this, there will be even less..

[chuk_77]

---

@bluecat*dancing wrote:
It must be demoralising for these workers to be treated as if the job they do is so unimportant.

---

as a child care worker, now know as an Educator... Nah we're use to it. 85% of us were going to miss out on that pay rise anyway, still sux for those who did get it but the pay rise was not industry wide which was causing a divide in the sector and it was only for 2 years

[the_hawk*]

---

@purple_haize wrote:

Both my daughter and her husband are age care nurses. The hospital where my daughter works, they are aways wanting staff, so many leave and there is not enough nurses as it is, to care for patients that are in high care.

Now with this, there will be even less..

---

Its OK they will get all the highly motivated caring people on the dole to do volutry work for their dole payments

[spotweldersfriend]

Well that's another 2 sectors of the workforce that won't be voting for this heartless mob at the next election.May we have our double dissolution now please Tony?