Latest news with #MelissaWoolley
Scoop
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
People's Select Committee: Thousands Of Care And Support Workers Cannot Wait For Justice
Representatives from three unions will make a joint submission to the People's Select Committee today on behalf of 65,000 care and support workers whose long-standing pay equity claim was scrapped in May. The PSA, E tū and New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) will speak on key recommendations for the sector, including reversing the Government's recent amendments, sustainable settlement funding, and broader sector reform to properly reflect the value of care and support work. Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Assistant Secretary, Melissa Woolley, says care and support workers were shocked and aggrieved when the Government rushed through changes to pay equity overnight. "They were further insulted when it came to light in the past few weeks that ministers had worked to deliberately conceal the changes they were making and this was a deliberate attempt to stop the care and support workers claim because of the cost. It was also revealed that the contingency from the funded sector was gone," Woolley says. "We are incredibly thankful that Marilyn Waring and everyone else behind the scenes at the People's Select Committee have provided this opportunity for us to formally consult on pay equity for care and support workers. "Care and support have been waiting far too long for pay equity, and to be recognised as highly skilled workers who provide real value to their communities," says Woolley who is a former care and support worker herself and joint unions pay equity negotiator. "The Government's changes to pay equity were a kick in the guts for these workers who are now largely on the minimum wage or close to it. They should not, and cannot, bear the brunt of bad political decisions," Woolley says. NZNO President Anne Daniels says NZNO was one of the unions who have worked on Care and Support workers' pay equity for many years, including the 2017 Support Workers Settlement. "We continue to work with our sister unions to see pay justice done for our 6,500 Care and Support members. "These workers are the backbone of a caring society. Our members worked tirelessly for decades to have their mahi recognised and their skills, knowledge and responsibilities properly valued through the pay equity process. "Care and Support workers and their whānau shouldn't have to make do with less because of this Government's shameful attack on women. They deserve fair pay for their hard mahi," Daniels says. The 65,000 care and support workers in New Zealand have been waiting for their pay equity claim to be renewed since 2022. Their original settlement, won in 2017 by worker and E tū delegate Kristin Bartlett, expired after five years in place and has since been eroded by inflation. E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh says care and support workers are some of the lowest-paid workers in the health system, doing some of our most important work. "The Government's refusal to deliver pay equity is a political decision to save money at the expense of women, migrants, and our most vulnerable. "This legislation was meant to finally address very well-known discrimination based on gender. It followed the Supreme Court decision in favour of Kristine Bartlett which was a watershed moment for pay equity. Ripping this away from workers is a clear signal that they do not value women, nor any workers in women-dominated industries. "Workers, their unions, and the wider community are completely fired up about this, and we will not sit down and quietly accept this discrimination. We'll keep fighting for pay equity - and we will win it," Mackintosh says. The combined PSA, NZNO and E tū submission details the timeline of the care and support worker pay equity claim, which involved thousands of hours of work between workers, unions, and employers. "Thanks to the Government's retrospective legislation, all the work that went into the pay equity claim is now in the bin, and care and support workers cannot raise a new claim until 2027," Woolley says. "This arbitrary and cruel delay is just one reason why we're recommending to the People's Select Committee that the amendments to the Equal Pay Act should go. "Our other recommendations are focused on the other changes to the Act: the much higher bar to prove the merit of the pay equity claim, the restrictions on finding comparators, and the fact that employers can opt out of the process without giving a reason. "Our view is that these changes are designed to make the care and support pay equity impossible to achieve," Woolley says.
Scoop
30-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Home Support Workers To Strike Over Poor Pay, ‘Broken' System
Press Release – PSA Nearly 1000 support workers from one of the country's largest home support companies are walking off the job tomorrow to protest chronically low pay and a recent attempt by their employer to claw back staff conditions. Access Community Health support workers will strike from 12-2pm on Thursday, 1 May – International Workers' Day – the same day as senior doctors and Auckland City Hospital's perioperative nurses will also walk off the job. 'For the first time in nearly 20 years, our members have overwhelmingly voted to take strike action,' Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi assistant secretary Melissa Woolley says. 'Despite receiving increased public funding, Access Community Health have put up an insulting offer: no pay increase, introducing 90-day trials, reducing sick days, and taking away qualifications pay steps undermining the integrity of the 2017 care and support worker pay equity settlement.' Most workers are on minimum wage or slightly above, but none have received a pay increase for nearly two years. The strike follows a two-hour stop-work meeting undertaken by workers on 15 April. 'Home support workers are an incredibly dedicated group of people – it takes a lot for them to walk off the job,' Woolley says. 'But they recognise that the incredible strain on health workers is not acceptable or sustainable – as do New Zealand's senior doctors and nurses, who are also striking tomorrow. 'The fact that Access workers are all taking industrial action tomorrow alongside senior doctors and perioperative nurses really highlights how broken the system is.' An anonymous Access Community Health worker says that their work is hugely under-valued. 'We are paid minimum wage to deliver essential care, 24/7 and 365 days a year. Our phones are always ringing because our employer cannot attract and retain staff at their current pay rates. 'The sad thing is that while we are burnt out, we know that if we don't provide the care then no-one will. At the end of the day, our clients are the ones that miss out.' Support workers play an essential role within healthcare, providing in-home care for everyone from the elderly to those with mobility issues or recovering from surgery. Their duties include using hoist equipment to lift clients, managing hygiene, administering medication, personal cares and liaising with other healthcare professionals on any changes in their clients.
Scoop
30-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Home Support Workers To Strike Over Poor Pay, ‘Broken' System
Press Release – PSA Access Community Health support workers will strike from 12-2pm on Thursday, 1 May – International Workers Day – the same day as senior doctors and Auckland City Hospitals perioperative nurses will also walk off the job. Nearly 1000 support workers from one of the country's largest home support companies are walking off the job tomorrow to protest chronically low pay and a recent attempt by their employer to claw back staff conditions. Access Community Health support workers will strike from 12-2pm on Thursday, 1 May – International Workers' Day – the same day as senior doctors and Auckland City Hospital's perioperative nurses will also walk off the job. 'For the first time in nearly 20 years, our members have overwhelmingly voted to take strike action,' Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi assistant secretary Melissa Woolley says. 'Despite receiving increased public funding, Access Community Health have put up an insulting offer: no pay increase, introducing 90-day trials, reducing sick days, and taking away qualifications pay steps undermining the integrity of the 2017 care and support worker pay equity settlement.' Most workers are on minimum wage or slightly above, but none have received a pay increase for nearly two years. The strike follows a two-hour stop-work meeting undertaken by workers on 15 April. 'Home support workers are an incredibly dedicated group of people – it takes a lot for them to walk off the job,' Woolley says. 'But they recognise that the incredible strain on health workers is not acceptable or sustainable – as do New Zealand's senior doctors and nurses, who are also striking tomorrow. 'The fact that Access workers are all taking industrial action tomorrow alongside senior doctors and perioperative nurses really highlights how broken the system is.' An anonymous Access Community Health worker says that their work is hugely under-valued. 'We are paid minimum wage to deliver essential care, 24/7 and 365 days a year. Our phones are always ringing because our employer cannot attract and retain staff at their current pay rates. 'The sad thing is that while we are burnt out, we know that if we don't provide the care then no-one will. At the end of the day, our clients are the ones that miss out.' Support workers play an essential role within healthcare, providing in-home care for everyone from the elderly to those with mobility issues or recovering from surgery. Their duties include using hoist equipment to lift clients, managing hygiene, administering medication, personal cares and liaising with other healthcare professionals on any changes in their clients.
Scoop
29-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Home Support Workers To Strike Over Poor Pay, ‘Broken' System
Nearly 1000 support workers from one of the country's largest home support companies are walking off the job tomorrow to protest chronically low pay and a recent attempt by their employer to claw back staff conditions. Access Community Health support workers will strike from 12-2pm on Thursday, 1 May - International Workers' Day - the same day as senior doctors and Auckland City Hospital's perioperative nurses will also walk off the job. "For the first time in nearly 20 years, our members have overwhelmingly voted to take strike action," Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi assistant secretary Melissa Woolley says. "Despite receiving increased public funding, Access Community Health have put up an insulting offer: no pay increase, introducing 90-day trials, reducing sick days, and taking away qualifications pay steps undermining the integrity of the 2017 care and support worker pay equity settlement." Most workers are on minimum wage or slightly above, but none have received a pay increase for nearly two years. The strike follows a two-hour stop-work meeting undertaken by workers on 15 April. "Home support workers are an incredibly dedicated group of people - it takes a lot for them to walk off the job," Woolley says. "But they recognise that the incredible strain on health workers is not acceptable or sustainable - as do New Zealand's senior doctors and nurses, who are also striking tomorrow. "The fact that Access workers are all taking industrial action tomorrow alongside senior doctors and perioperative nurses really highlights how broken the system is." An anonymous Access Community Health worker says that their work is hugely under-valued. "We are paid minimum wage to deliver essential care, 24/7 and 365 days a year. Our phones are always ringing because our employer cannot attract and retain staff at their current pay rates. "The sad thing is that while we are burnt out, we know that if we don't provide the care then no-one will. At the end of the day, our clients are the ones that miss out." Support workers play an essential role within healthcare, providing in-home care for everyone from the elderly to those with mobility issues or recovering from surgery. Their duties include using hoist equipment to lift clients, managing hygiene, administering medication, personal cares and liaising with other healthcare professionals on any changes in their clients. The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
