Australian Services Union to push for historic 35pc pay rise for community, disability support workers
One of Australia’s largest unions is pushing for a historic pay rise for thousands of support workers across the country; This marks the industry’s biggest wage increase in more than a decade.
The Australian Services Union (ASU) will push for a 35 per cent pay increase for community and disability support workers.
Such a claim would be the industry’s largest wage demand in more than 14 years.
The union will present its case to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) on Wednesday, arguing that basic wages should be abolished to reflect the increasingly complex and demanding nature of work.
ASU NSW and ACT secretary Angus McFarland said the proposed pay rise would make support workers feel valued for the work they do.
“Community workers are under pressure but their wages do not reflect the workload,” he said.
“Over the last 14 years their work has become more complex, intense and challenging.
“Employees are supporting more customers with increasingly complex needs and managing heavier workloads with fewer resources.
“Our members are the glue that holds communities together across NSW and the ACT. Community workers support people in crisis, trauma, poverty and disadvantage, helping them get through the worst periods of their lives.”
ASU, which represents approximately 185,000 workers in the support, transportation, travel and IT industries, estimates that the average annual wage of affected full-time workers will be approximately $80,000.
However, this figure will be lower for most part-time and temporary workers in the female-dominated sector.
The case comes as the Fair Work Commission closed the NDIS wage theft loophole last week by restructuring the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award.
Mr McFarland said the proposed wage increase would help boost employment and retention in the sector.
“Workers leave the sector because they are undervalued and underpaid. This sector is a leaky sector with the highest turnover rates,” he said.
“This puts pressure on remaining workers and causes employers to lose time and money as they constantly change staff.
“Fair pay will mean better outcomes for the people of NSW and the ACT. It will mean secure jobs, less staff turnover, better services and stronger communities.
