With the sector still waiting for the Final Report of the Aged Care Taskforce and an extended deadline for submissions on the draft of the new Aged Care Act, another deadline is looming: the Fair Work Commission (FWC)'s decision on Stage 3 of the Work Value case for the cleaners, food services workers, maintenance staff, and laundry workers in residential aged care.
The Government had requested the FWC hand down its final decision by the end of April 2024 to allow the Government time to formulate its position for the 2024-25 Federal Budget. Every 5% increase in wages to direct care workers requires an additional funding of $3.5-$4 billion over four years.
However, on 7 February, Deputy Chief Solicitor, Paul Vermeesch (pictured) wrote to the FWC saying it would "assist" the Government if it was aware of the FWC's final decision by the end of March 2024.
"Ideally, to support the Commonwealth to give final consideration to funding arrangements for any further wage increase as part of the 2024-25 Budget process, it would assist if the Commonwealth was aware of the Commission’s final decision by the end of March 2024 (instead of the end of April 2024, as had been previously foreshadowed)," the Deputy Chief Solicitor wrote.
You can read the letter here.
In December, the FWC heard Stage 3 of the Work Value case, which considered pay rises for indirect care workers, who were included in the original applications but omitted from the 15% pay rise granted for direct care workers announced in November 2022.
Other issues considered were:
- further pay increases for direct care workers,
- moving home care workers under the Aged Care Award, and
- how medication competency and dementia and palliative care should be treated under the Award, among other issues.
Late last week, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) submitted an application for a 35% pay increase for nurses, on the back of the aged care work value case.
