Media Release
Rosebank Treats Aged Care Workers Appallingly
Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) who work at Rosebank a residential aged care facility in Ashburton
will be having a three hour picket from 12noon – 3pm on Thursday 16th October outside Rosebank on Walnut Avenue in
Ashburton to protest the shameful offer from their employer. Members have been offered a 1.2% pay increase in exchange
for an agreement to reduce staff hours.
The union has been in bargaining since August and the employer has offered a 1.2% increase despite the fact that they
have received a 2.8% funding increase from the government “The employer is being extremely unreasonable in their offer
of 1.2% - these workers earn barely more than the minimum wage they deserve to be paid significantly more than that for
the work that they do every day caring for elderly, ” said Steve Howard, Organiser.
“These workers understand that their employer has received a 2.8% funding increase from the district health board –
these workers are not prepared to sacrifice the care of their residents in return for a pay rise. This proposal is
outrageous. This is despite the fact that a 2.8% increase is nowhere near the percentage increase that these workers
need in order to be paid a wage that reflects their value,”Howard said.
ENDS