The Fair Work Commission (FWC) will consider the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) application to increase wages for all nurses, including those working in aged care, by up to 35% on 4 April 2024.
The FWC left nurse wages out of its decision last week, which delivered direct care workers a wage rise of up to 13.5% and indirect care workers as much as 6.8%, because it substantially overlaps with the ANMF application for all nurses, which seeks to increase wages by up to 35%.
The ANMF is arguing nurses' wages should be increased because they have historically been undervalued due to assumptions based on gender, and because the role has become more complex over the last several decades but that has not been factored into wages.
About 30,000 RNs work in residential aged care.
