- Australian aged care workers will have an average wage increase of 23%.
- For certificate III qualified personnel, it implemented a new benchmark pay rate of $1,223.90 per week or $63,6642.8 annually.
- Personal care workers will earn a rise of 18.2% to 28.5%, inclusive of the 15% already ordered.
After the Fair Work Commission’s ruling in a work value case, Australian aged care workers will have an average wage increase of 23%. The expert group appointed by the commission concluded that pay increases for direct care providers, such as nurses and home care aides, should be “substantially” greater than the 15% wage increase that was mandated in November 2022.
For certificate III qualified personnel, it implemented a new benchmark pay rate of $1,223.90 per week or $63,6642.8 annually. Depending on their ability and qualification level, personal care workers will earn a rise of 18.2% to 28.5%, inclusive of the 15% already ordered.
Aged Care Workers
The decision will result in billions more being invested in elder care, in addition to the $11.3 billion in the 2023 budget that will be spent over four years for the 15% interim pay hike.
Gerard Hayes, the secretary of the Health Services Union, described the wage decision as “one of the best outcomes this union has ever achieved”. According to him, dignity counts when it comes to aged care, and the salary increase would make it competitive with the public health system.
The Fair Work Commission expert panel discovered that presumptions based on gender have historically resulted in the work of employees in the elderly care sector being underestimated.
A minimum award wage rate that fairly compensates aged care workers for their work, including the use of their “invisible” skills, and is determined on a gender-neutral basis is what the new benchmark rate, which was “appropriately justified by work value reasons,” would guarantee.
Equal pay rates were justified since employees who provide indirect care services, like food services and administrative support, did not do labor of a comparable caliber to that of direct care personnel. The financing for the increases in award wages that the Fair Work Commission recommended in this case has been committed to by the government.
