Health and Community Services Union

Health and Community Services Union members employed at Kirinari Community Services will be walking the streets of Wodonga tomorrow (26th August) at 2pm to garner community support for their campaign for a pay increase.

The HACSU members are fighting for a 3.25% pay increase. Kirinari were provided with a funding increase from the Victorian Government which contained provisions for a 3.25% pay increase in July 2009. Kirinari are yet to pass this pay increase on in full to its employees.

Health and Community Services Union members will begin a series of work bans at Kiriniari Community Services tomorrow (25th August) after the service continually to refused to pass on a full pay increase that the Victorian Government has provided the funding for.

Kirinari provide residential, outreach and recreational programs for people with a disability in the Wodonga, Wangaratta, Albury, and Lavington areas.

On 1 July 2009 the Victorian State Government gave all Disability Support Providers a funding increase which contained provisions for a 3.25% pay increase. However, Kirinari refuses to pass the full pay increase on. Kirinari’s ongoing refusal has lead to a break down in negotiations which has meant the union has been forced to resort to industrial action.

6 Month Contract with View to Permanent

HACSU has an initial 6 month position at the central union office and is inviting applications from individuals who possess the necessary passion, commitment, skills and knowledge to fulfil the role as an Area Organiser.

4 Days a Week (with Potential to Move to Full Time)

HACSU has an ongoing position of Communications and Media Officer at the central union office and is inviting applications from individuals who possess the necessary passion, commitment, skills and knowledge to fulfil the role. The Communications and Media Officer is responsible for broad campaign communications and media strategy which includes publications, newsletters, website and media promotion.

In the 2007 Mental Health EBA, HACSU won agreement to allow members of the old State Public Service Superannuation Schemes to make their contributions before tax is deducted; thus providing members with a tax saving and increasing take home pay. This applies to SERBS, Revised Scheme and the New Scheme which are managed by the Emergency Services & State Super Fund (ESSSuper).

The State Minister for Finance has now signed the declarations to allow members of the schemes and who are covered by the Psychiatric Services Agreement and the Forensicare Agreement to commence salary sacrifice contributions.

Members wanting to take advantage of salary sacrificing contributions into these schemes need to make the arrangements through their service HR/Payroll Department.

Premier John Brumby has announced that the State Labor Government will support the Union’s equal pay case in Fair Work Australia (FWA) and to funding the outcome if re-elected at the November State Election.

This is a great win for all HACSU members working in Non Government Disability Services and Mental Health PDRSS and a major breakthrough in our campaign for Equal Pay.

On Thursday 10 June, thousands of union members, including a strong HACSU contingent, took to the streets in support of the Equal Pay case currently being heard by Fair Work Australia.

This was the biggest rally for Equal Pay since the 1970s.

Well done to the broad cross section of HACSU members that took the time to attend the rally in support of their colleagues in the Non-Government Disability and PDRSS sectors. 

Health and Community Services Union members working in the non-government disability sector will be marching in support of Equal Pay at Federation Square tomorrow along with a range of other unions.

HACSU members are calling on the Brumby Government to fund the outcome of the Equal Pay case currently being heard by Fair Work Australia.

The Equal Pay case is a challenge in Fair Work Australia to the wages attached to the new community sector award on the basis of gender equity. Unions are arguing that the wages are low because the sector is predominantly female and paid less than others working with similar qualifications in male dominated industries.

In Australia women are still paid 17% less than men on average.

"It is clear that caring work is undervalued in Australia because historically it has been considered the work of women," said HACSU State Secretary Lloyd Williams. "The Equal Pay Case is a historic opportunity to address this imbalance and recognise the incredible contribution that these workers make to the lives of some of Victoria’s most vulnerable citizens."

Disability Support Workers in the non-government sector are paid between 17% and 30% less than their colleagues in the public sector who do the same work and have not suffered the same undervaluing.

"We are using this rally to call on the Brumby Government to support the case and commit to funding the outcome of the Equal Pay case," said Mr Williams. "The state government provides the bulk of the funding for Community Sector Organisations and without this commitment the Fair Work Australia ruling will have little impact."

The Rally will be held tomorrow from 11am at Federation Square and will be followed by a march to Parliament House.

One of the three key pillars of HACSU's 'Respect in Disability – NGO Equal Pay' campaign is in jeopardy. We need your urgent assistance.

The State Government recently commissioned Price Waterhouse Coopers to undertake an extensive review into the feasibility of a Portable Long Service Leave Scheme. The report has found that such a scheme is viable, however some employers including industry peak NGO Lobby group National Disability Services (NDS) has indicated their continued opposition to the scheme.

As the Government considers its position this week it is vital that the voices of Disability Workers are not drowned out by employer opposition who do not want employees in the Non-Government Sector to enjoy the benefits that employers have already been funded for!

The sensationalist tone of Melissa Fyfe’s article in the Sunday Age ("Drug restraint 'shame' in care homes", May 9 2010) is disappointing. As is her oversimplification of the highly complex issue of providing support to people with behaviours of concern.

This article has done nothing to further the argument for better resourcing of the disability sector because she misses a fundamentally important point: an overuse of chemical restraint in the disability sector is just one symptom of a systemic failure that is the result of years of sectoral funding neglect that dates back to the previous Liberal Government.

The characterisation of staff “reaching for drugs as a quick solution” is offensive to Disability Services Professionals. Staff do not ‘reach for drugs’ in the absence of appropriate arrangement’s first having been put in place by treating health professionals.