Worn out Regis aged care workers protest proposed 1pc pay rise

Aged care workers already under pressure from Covid who work at major residential facilities in Cairns are protesting inadequate pay and conditions, as the sector reaches crisis point. Meanwhile the aged care centre has responded to the workers’ call for more pay.

UPDATE: REGIS residential aged care has responded after its workers’ took to the street demanding a pay rise.

A Regis spokeswoman said enterprise agreement negotiations were ongoing.

“Regis values and respects the important work our employees do to keep our residents safe.

We are currently negotiating for a new enterprise agreement or our nurses, which includes wage increases up to 8.5 per cent over three years and improved employment conditions,” she said.

“Regis supports people’s right to express their freedom of association and engage in peaceful protests, however we hope this matter can be resolved as soon as possible.

“The safety and wellbeing of our residents remains our top priority, as well as giving our employees the assurance of a pay increase through our new EA.”

EARLIER: The issue of poorly paid aged care sector workers was thrust into the spotlight on Monday with a rally at Regis Whitfield.

Cairns Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) organiser Maddi Heathfield said Regis was offering a one per cent per annum pay increase for Whitfield and Redlynch staff and seeking to reduce entitlements.

She said private aged care nurses earned about 48 per cent less than their Queensland Health colleagues.

Whitfield aged care worker Dianne Power said payment rates were well behind a CPI increase of 4.3 per cent.

Regis employee Dianne Power addresses the protest outside the Regis Whitfield aged care complex. Picture: Brian Cassey

“We have some of the lowest pay, we are further and further behind,” she said.

“We need a pay rate that encourages workers to stay in the industry, aged care workers are leaving in droves to work as cashiers in supermarkets, abandoning a sector that is already struggling for staff.

“We are one of the lowest paid workers in one of the lowest paid industries in Australia,” she said.

She said Regis was attempting to force aged care nursing staff to work up to 20 days in a row, up to 10 hours without overtime and to be on call on their days off.

Nurse Peter Richard said he earned $28 per hour and had been under pressure during the pandemic.

“The government has to bring in better staff ratios and the way to retain staff is by offering money similar to what nurses in the public health system get,” he said.

One of the recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission was an increase in award wages.

The average hourly pay is $23.72 or $55,400 per annum.

But the average Australian wage is $90,000, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Regis reported net profit of $19.9m in 2020-21.

AMMU organiser Maddi Heathfield leads the protest outside the Regis Whitfield residential aged care facility. Picture: Brian Cassey.

The aged care services provider, one of the largest providers of residential aged care in the nation, hit the headlines last August when it reported, it had potentially underpaid employers between $30m and $40m.

Aged care was not a priority in the federal budget with $522m allocated including $48.5m for 15,000 extra training places for personal care workers.

But Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has made aged care the central platform of his election campaign with a $2.5bn pledge to improve the sector announced in the federal budget reply.

Labor’s five point plan promises registered nurses on site 24/7, more carers, a pay rise for the sector’s workers, standards to ensure better food for residents, and greater accountability imposed on providers.

Originally published as Worn out Regis aged care workers protest proposed 1pc pay rise