Monday 18th April 2017

Equal Pay Settlement is Great News for Carers

Today's announcement of a settlement of the Equal Pay case is a welcome step towards recognising the vital work of those doing care work in this country and for work done mainly by women. It also recognises the importance of older people and others who are living with disabilities who are supported through this work, says the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS).

Every day thousands of dedicated people working in aged care, home based support and the disability sector do challenging but also rewarding work. Most of this work is funded by the Government through subsidies for the people in need this support.

The social service organisations in the NZCCSS networks employ thousands of carers. "We are delighted that the Government and unions have reached an agreement on a settlement", says Gillian Bremner, spokesperson for NZCCSS. "Our agencies are all non-for-profit and charitable organisations with a focus on the wellbeing of the people we work with, who are mostly older people needing a wide range of support to live well in their own homes or in aged residential care. We want to pay our staff more but it is the Government funding that decides how much money is actually available to pay carers wages and this has resulted in lower wages than we think should be paid for this work."

"This is fantastic recognition for the work of caring ", says Gillian Bremner. "NZCCSS and the member agencies are committed to doing all they can for the wellbeing of employees as well as the older people they support. The details of the settlement are not yet available and it will only be when the full details are known that we can assess what the effect will be on our organisations and the services they provide."

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