One Warrigal aged care worker was left to single-handedly look after up to 40 residents, a union-led meeting of staff fighting to be paid correctly has been told.
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About 50 aged care workers met with Health Services Union (HSU) representatives in Shellharbour on Tuesday night, airing concerns about being paid below the appropriate rate set out in their enterprise agreement (EA).
The HSU has accused Warrigal of holding workers to ransom by refusing to negotiate a pay rise at the same time workers pursue a separate work classifications matter through the Fair Work Commission (FWC).
The HSU’s NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said the Fair Work action was initiated to ensure carers on the lowest rung of the ladder were re-graded to better reflect the work they do.
Mr Hayes said re-classifying carers from grade 1 to grade 2 would cost Warrigal less than $1 an hour per carer.
“Clearly our members are doing work of a grade 2 level and yet they are being paid as a grade 1,” he said.
“Effectively we’re talking about 76 cents an hour and there’s great pushback on this.”
Generally, a grade 2 carer deals with complex issues, like a person’s hygiene and psychological needs, while those on grade 1 carry out basics like cleaning and other supervised work, he said.
The union has called on Warrigal to look at the job descriptors in the EA.
“Compare that with the work people are doing and I think it’s pretty simple to say that people are being underpaid,” Mr Hayes said, adding he was concerned to hear some of the issues raised during the meeting.
“On an afternoon shift there can be a situation where you have one person looking after up to 40 residents.”
Acting Warrigal chief executive Craig Smith said the company met with HSU and NSW Nurses and Midwives Association representatives on Wednesday and had planned further meetings.
“To date we have worked diligently to address issues raised in the grading dispute,” Mr Smith said.
The company said there was uncertainty as to the tasks a grade 1 and grade 2 carer could perform and the FWC was helping to resolve the issue.
Staffing ratios were “regularly reviewed by management, and vary to accommodate the changing needs of our residents”, it said.
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
