Aged care workers to take industrial action

Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) have voted overwhelmingly (92 per cent) in favour of taking protected industrial action against Opal HealthCare over its “unacceptable pay and conditions offer”.

Opal runs five facilities on the Central Coast including Kanwal Gardens Care Community, Norah Head Care Community, Berkeley Vale Care Community, Killarney Vale Care Community, and Wallarah Point Care Community.

Union members are demanding an 18 per cent pay increase over three years to keep up with rising inflation and cost of living pressures.

They also want Opal to meet their mandatory care minutes obligations in 47 facilities across NSW, as well as increased sick leave.

Opal’s most recent pay and conditions offer was 9.75 per cent over three years for registered and enrolled nurses, and up to 10.2 per cent over three years for assistants in nursing.

NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish applauded members for taking a stand against Opal HealthCare.

“Our Central Coast aged care nurses and carers work under extremely difficult conditions because of sector-wide staffing shortages,” she said.

“They feel like they can’t provide the dedication, attention and quality care residents deserve because of the workplace pressures.

“The current pay offer by Opal does not deliver competitive rates of pay that will help recruit and retain staff, ease extreme workloads and ensure compliance with mandatory care minutes.

“The offer also doesn’t recognise the current economic climate and financial challenges being experienced by our aged care workers.

“In May, workers voted down Opal’s original offer of 8.25 per cent over three years.

“This was the first time Opal aged care nurses and carers successfully voted down an enterprise agreement.

“They’ve now made history again, uniting to fight against Australia’s largest for-profit aged care provider by taking protected industrial action.

“This may involve wearing badges, distributing campaign flyers to residents and their families, overtime bans and work stoppages.

“Members are planning to kick off industrial action as early as next week.”

Candish said greater accountability and transparency was needed by Opal to meet its mandatory 200 care minutes per resident per day.

“The latest care minutes quarterly data from the Department of Health and Aged Care shows 20 out of Opal’s 47 facilities did not meet their registered nurse care minutes targets, while 42 did not meet their total care minute targets,” she said.

“On the Central Coast, Kanwal Gardens Care Community is the worst performing, with each resident missing on average 37 minutes of care per day, followed by Norah Head Care Community with 30 minutes being missed.

“Opal is also not coming to the table on our request for sick leave to be increased to 20 days, and instead insists on sticking to the legal minimum of 10 days per year.”