Today’s Ministerial Advisory Group report on aged care
will only deliver the system older New Zealanders need if it
comes with real pay equity for the workforce that delivers
it.
“More than ever, as our population ages, we need
to get this system right and built to last, but the key to
that is a workforce that is fairly paid and protected for
the vital work those caring for the elderly do,” said Fleur
Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service
Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
The PSA is
the union representing thousands of workers caring for the
elderly in their own homes.
“We support the vision of
a properly integrated aged care system that helps people age
well in their own homes. But the report itself admits a more
integrated system will not be achievable ‘without a
sustainable and capable workforce to deliver
it’.
“The Government commissioned this report after
scrapping pay equity, and then excluded workforce pay and
conditions from this review’s scope.
“You can’t
have it both ways. If a well-trained, fairly paid workforce
is critical to making this reform work, and the report says
it is, then pay equity and secure employment must be part of
the conversation.
“We’re calling on all parties this
election to commit to restoring and maintaining the legally
established pay equity rate for home support workers.
Anything less isn’t reform, it’s a repeat of the same
underfunding that’s driven workers out of the sector for
years.
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“We need home support workers more than ever,
and they need a secure career path so more stay and more
join this vital workforce to care for our rapidly ageing
population in their homes.
“But home support workers
are employed in a precarious way, chasing broken shifts with
no guarantee of hours. That has to change to a model that
delivers fairly paid, guaranteed shift work, not piecemeal
rostering that leaves workers unable to plan a life or build
a career.
“We welcome the recommendation to extend
Part 6A of the Employment Relations Act to care and support
workers, which protects workers’ jobs and conditions when
contracts change hands between providers. The PSA has
already settled cases confirming this coverage, but the
Government needs to make sure it is never in
doubt.
“On worker’s travel, the PSA has already had
to take legal action under the Wages Protection Act because
home support workers were being short-changed on the true
cost of driving between clients. The report’s proposal to
modernise in-between travel is a step in the right
direction, but it must properly cover the real cost of
vehicle use.
“We support a genuine workforce strategy
for care and support workers, but it needs to be developed
in real partnership with unions, not just consultation after
the decisions are made.
“This is a significant report,
and it deserves genuine engagement from every party and that
means commitment to funding the system properly and
guaranteeing workers see the benefit. It has never been more
vital to get this right.”
About PSA:
The Public Service
Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa
New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and
supporting more than 95,000 workers across central
government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health
boards and community
groups.
