The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), Australia’s largest union, has come out swinging at the Morrison Government after a poll of members found more than 70% still had not received the promised $800 pro-rata payments for aged care workers.
In the national survey, only 2.7% of ANMF members had received both payments, with 26% having received just one, and 71% having received neither.
ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler (above) said members were “angry and disappointed” but not surprised, and that they had been unimpressed with the payments in the first place.
“The Government failed to take action – it did not address the staffing crisis and it refused to participate in the Fair Work Commission’s process to increases wages for aged care workers, opting instead for two pro-rata payments of up to $400 aimed at preventing an exodus of staff from the frontline.
“While acknowledging this small offering, unions warned that the payments remained grossly inadequate. Now we discover that not only has the Morrison Government failed to take real action to fix the crisis in aged care, it hasn’t even delivered on its promised bonus payment for workers,” she said.
A Senate Estimates hearing last month found that only half of eligible workers had received either of the two $400 payments promised by the Government in February.
