Survey finds industry on brink of collapse

SHOCKING survey findings claim three in four aged care workers in Australia plan to quit within the next six months unless offered a hefty pay rise.

The decision will bring the already crisis-ridden sector to the verge of collapse, the Health Services Union revealed in its Aged Care Snapshot report on Tuesday.

With some aged care workers being paid as little as $22 an hour, the union claimed the interim 15 per cent pay rise to direct care employees awarded by the fair work commission two weeks ago is not high enough.

The union reinforced its call for a 25 per cent increase across the sector‘s workforce as more than 90 per cent of the 2000 workers surveyed said securing the full 25 per cent pay increase was “extremely important” for them.

“A full and comprehensive pay rise for the entire sector is beyond urgent,” HSU National President, Gerard Hayes said.

“Aged care is on the verge of a mass resignation that will trigger the sector’s collapse.

“This is not a problem that can be solved by bringing in the army or phasing in a pay rise; we need an urgent injection of money into the bank accounts of workers,” Mr Hayes said.

“Aged care workers cop abuse, pain and back breaking strain and they do some of society’s most unpleasant and demanding work.

“And until now they have been paid three-fifths of bugger all with pathetic job security. “Enough is enough, the time for platitudes and reviews has passed. “Unless we want our elderly cared for by robots and fed frankfurts and jelly, we need to commit to funding a full pay rise for all sections of the aged care workforce,” he said.