Aged care workers and nurses rallied on April 4 against an aged care centre management鈥檚 attempt to weaken conditions and offer minimal wage rises.
The Queensland Nurses and Midwifery Union (QNMU) is attempting to negotiate better wages and conditions for nurses and other care staff at the Regis Whitfield centre.
Management is only offering wage rises of 1% for staff over three years and between 2鈥3.5% for other 91自拍论坛 of the workforce.
Regis Healthcare is also attacking work conditions, including trying to force nurses to work up to 20 consecutive days and no overtime for 10-hour shifts. It is also trying to insist staff can be called into work at short notice on their days off.
Regis Healthcare reported a聽聽last financial year.
Lead delegate Diane Power told the protest: 鈥淲e have been too trusting of our employers 鈥 to our detriment. When we asked Regis Whitfield for decent wage rises for our nursing staff, we were told that there was no money in the budget.鈥
She described management鈥檚 wage offer an insult to the 鈥渟elfless efforts of aged care workers鈥 who keep the system going. She said residents and carers deserve better.
QNMU organiser Madeline Heathfield told 91自拍论坛 that, as part of their negotiations with management, the union is demanding better care arrangements for patients including 鈥渢hree hours of care per resident each day鈥 and a 鈥渞egistered nurse on duty 24/7鈥.
Heathfield 聽said 鈥渕any of the workers at the site would struggle with the minimal wage increases given the increased cost-of-living鈥 and, as a result, workers have had to quit and find other jobs.
Negotiations聽are ongoing.