Striking aged care workers are taking their fight into the heart of Brisbane today, demanding the Uniting Church-owned BlueCare treat them fairly.<\/p>\n
Aged care workers will march in the city centre and stage a protest at BlueCare\u2019s Ann St offices, as they enter their fourth week of strike action.<\/p>\n
\u201cAged care workers are being forced to take unprecedented strike action as a result of pay and conditions that are failing workers and failing residents,\u201d United Workers Union Aged Care Director Carolyn Smith said today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt says a lot about a lack of respect for aged care workers that this week BlueCare only offered their workers a miserable 2 per cent pay rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Uniting Church\u2019s leaders clearly don\u2019t care inflation is now running at 5 per cent and already low-paid workers would be left to go backwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd BlueCare only wants to pay its pittance from December \u2013 with no back pay!\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Smith said the low-ball offer from BlueCare was salt in the wound for BlueCare aged care workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlueCare\u2019s aged care workers have endured a pay office stuff-up that\u00a0dragged on for months and they have seen BlueCare executive pay leap by 30 per cent in the last annual report,\u201d Ms Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAged care workers have turned up every day to care for residents while the Omicron wave still ravages facilities \u2013 yet they are shown no respect by BlueCare.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Smith said the strike at BlueCare \u2013 which is Queensland\u2019s largest aged care provider caring for almost 3,500 aged care residents \u2013 occurred alongside strike actions in six other aged care providers in three states.<\/p>\n
\u201cAged care workers are being pushed to breaking point by understaffing, impossible workloads and the emotional toll of not having enough time or support to provide the quality of care that residents require.<\/p>\n
\u201cAged care workers are fighting for enough time to give the quality care that older Australians need and deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
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