Dad’s fight for equality pays
After years in the making, Thames father Cliff Robinson has notched up another win in his fight to get equal pay for parents who are caregivers to their disabled children.
After the Ombudsman took up his cause, the 81-year-old has been awarded back payments from the Ministry of Health.
Robinson has raised his two children, Marita, 50, and Johnny, 48, fulltime by himself since they were babies.
Both were born with the neurodevelopment disorder microcephaly and Johnny later developed schizophrenia and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes.
After battling to get parents of disabled children identified as paid carers in 2012, Robinson then faced further hurdles.
‘‘They awarded me 40 hours a week for Johnny, who has a multitude of problems, and then six months later they took 10 hours off me, despite there being a budget of $23 million a year.’’
The 10 hours were reinstated after a further 21⁄ year fight, but then the ministry refused back pay.
Robinson wrote to the ministry requesting the $22,000 he was owed in back payments; its reply was an offer of $8000.
‘‘I said ‘no way’. You know, MPs had just got a big pay increase and that had been retrospectively paid and I think it was right that they got an increase, so why shouldn’t I be treated the same?
‘‘So the Ombudsman offered to take it up and it took about 12 months because they’d never taken a case like this before.
‘‘Then they increased it from $8000 to $14,000, which is still a little bit less than the $22,000.
‘‘But seeing that it’s ex gratia, it’s tax-free – but I still got robbed.
‘‘But there is no paperwork, no forms and no tax – not that I mind paying tax – so I gladly accepted it and also gave the ministry a little bit of face as well, I suppose. ‘‘
The fight isn’t over for Robinson, though. In July, the Government addressed pay inequity in the predominantly female agedcare sector, giving the workers a collective pay rise worth $2 billion over the next four years.
However, that didn’t apply to Robinson and other parents in his situation.
‘‘It’s not just the money – it’s the moral issue of it. Why should we get less than any other caregivers?
‘‘I think it is wonderful it was the National government that brought it in. The care home workers have been diddled for years. .
‘‘If it was going to cost a thousand million dollars, I could understand some reluctance, but it’s not. It’s as if the ministry boffins have got it into their brains it’s not worth it. We shouldn’t even be paid – I get that distinct impression.’’
There is a barrier at every turn, but Robinson plans to keep fighting
‘‘Too right I am – until I’ve got no more breath in me.’’
In the meantime, the family will head to Palmerston North over the Christmas break to visit Robinson’s 96-year-old sister and then possibly spend a bit of time in New Plymouth on the way back in their old Bedford camper van.