Home Support workers will hold stop-work meetings tomorrow in response to their employer, Access Community Health, offering them no pay increase and reduced work conditions, despite the company receiving increased government funding.

Workers at these meetings will be discussing what options they wish to take in response to this poor attitude from their employer.

Stop work meetings will be held from 8am to 10am tomorrow, for over 1000 union members. Most earn the minimum wage and some slightly more, but none have received a pay increase for nearly two years.

Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi assistant secretary, Melissa Woolley, says Access offered no pay increase, instead, is proposing to reduce sick leave, and remove pay recognition for qualifications and tenure, while introducing 90-day trials.

"Removing pay recognition for qualifications and tenure was won by all care and support workers as part of the historic care and support pay equity settlement. It is outrageous that Access Community Health want to undo that historic settlement at their first opportunity since the support workers settlement act has expired," says Wooley.

"Having a well-qualified care and support worker workforce was a fundamental element of the negotiations that led to the care and support worker settlement in 2017 that was delivered under a National led government," says Woolley.

"It’s despicable that while Access has received increased funding in Government contracts, no pay increase has passed on to workers. Instead, they chose to pass on their profit off the back of low paid women workers to their shareholders.

"The company is imposing clawing back terms and conditions, and no cost of living increases to already struggling care and support workers. Our society can’t function without support workers, but their low pay rates block them from going to the dentist or getting the car serviced which is critical to them performing their roles. These workers are already subsidizing the system by using their own cars for work to travel in between clients.

"This blatant attack on workers has major connections to the health crisis. When Access do not value their staff, clients suffer the effects of short-staffing - missing the carers they need to shower and get dressed in the morning. Access needs to come to the table with a reasonable pay offer that respects their people," says Woolley.

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