Disability Support Service workers congratulated

Alliance congratulates Disability Support Service workers on court pay victory

Alliance Party Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday 9 July 2009

The Alliance Party has congratulated disability support services sleepover workers who have won an historic victory in being able to claim a minimum wage related pay rate when they undertake such shifts.

Alliance Disabilities Spokesperson Chris Ford has congratulated Phil Dickson and his other sleepover worker colleagues as well as the unions (the PSA and the Service and Food Workers Union) who took the case to the Employment Court.

They successfully proved that workers who do shifts requiring them to sleep over with IHC supported accommodation service clients are indeed working when they do so and should be paid the minimum wage.

"It is outrageous that up until now disability support workers undertaking such work were denied the right to claim the minimum wage and other payments for doing such critical work, that of supporting people with intellectual disabilities to live within their communities."

The Alliance Party also believes that this inequity where IHC employed sleepover workers were not treated on the same basis as other workers who work night shifts, irrespective of their industry and occupation, was an anomaly long overdue for correction.

"The Employment Court has done the right thing in seeking to attach an equal value to the work that these night shift workers, which they really are, undertake. They support clients in performing tasks that are essential to their own wellbeing in the same way that they are to anyone else’s and this includes assisting clients (where required) with toileting and bed turning, for example. The fact that they might be sleeping for significant periods of time makes no difference. After all, fire fighters on night shifts sometimes go on sleep breaks too in order to be alert if an emergency arises."

Mr Ford also pointed to the double standards of IHC New Zealand.

"For the employer, IHC New Zealand, an organisation which is committed to advancing the human rights of people with intellectual disabilities, its attempt to deny legitimate rights to a segment of their workforce smacks of nothing but hypocrisy as, after all, they did back the repeal of the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act which promoted the awful exploitation of intellectually disabled workers employed in sheltered workshops. Therefore they should be consistent and fair in seeking to promote and protect the rights of all workers, irrespective of whether they have a disability or not."

The Alliance Party believes that the struggle for DSS workers to achieve better pay and conditions is not over and is calling upon new Disability Issues Minister Tariana Turia to put the case for better funding for DSS to Government.

"Otherwise, if Turia and the National Government fail to address outstanding DSS funding issues, the Alliance Party will campaign vigorously at the next election to do so as an increase in funding for the sector is vital if long term issues regarding the value of DSS work are to be addressed," says Mr Ford.

ENDS

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