Care and Support Worker Claim: Update May 2024
Message from Kate Single, HR Manager, CCS Disability Action, May 2024
Key points
New claims: Unions, including NUPE, filed a second claim in November 2023 against 167 employers and a third claim in December 2023 against another 115 employers, revised in March 2024 against 114 employers, for pay equity in four sub-sectors.
Current status: this update focuses on the original claim involving 15 employers, including CCS Disability Action. Employers are seeking solutions for pay equity for support workers and the wider workforce.
Challenges: employers are frustrated over delays and are eager to collaborate with unions and funders to ensure pay equity. However, negotiations cannot proceed without confirmation that the Government will fund the additional costs.
Our stance: we support achieving pay equity and have proposed solutions. We are open to continuing discussions with unions but believe the mediation process suggested by unions may cause further delays.
Next steps: we are committed to resolving the issue and achieving pay equity to address gender-based pay discrimination. We await funding certainty from the government to move forward with formal bargaining.
New pay equity claims
In November 2023 the same unions, along with NUPE union, raised a second claim against 167 employers across these same four sub-sectors for the same work as the original claim.
In December 2023 a further third claim was raised against another 115 employers in these sub sectors. This claim was not ready to be raised and needed some further work for it was raised again by the unions on 5 March 2024 against 114 employers.
What is happening now?
This update relates to the progress of the original claim against the 15 employers including CCS Disability Action.
The employers are continuing to explore solutions that will deliver pay equity for our support workers, along with the wider care and support worker workforce at the same time.
We are frustrated at the delays we are facing with this process. Employers have been ready and willing to work with the unions and funders to find a solution that will deliver pay equity for our support workers.
As our workforce is funded by Whaikaha, Health New Zealand and other government funders it is essential for us that, before we commence formal bargaining for an agreement with the unions, we know that the government has set aside enough money to fully fund pay equity for care and support workers. We cannot progress until we receive that certainty.
We understand you may have received communication from E tū recently regarding this pay equity process. We want to reassure you that we are fully supportive of achieving pay equity for you all. We have worked hard to come up with solutions to discuss with unions and funders at key stages of this process. We continue to be available to meet with our union partners to progress this pre-bargaining work. The employers believe there is more we can work through to progress this claim and reach an ‘in principle’ agreement that may be taken into formal settlement discussions. We believe that the mediation process proposed by the unions will add unnecessary delays to this already lengthy process.
The discussions we have been holding with the unions to date have been done on a ‘without prejudice’ and confidential basis because we are not yet in formal bargaining. We cannot proceed further until we have sufficient certainty from the funders and government that additional costs can be covered. This is a condition of the bargaining process agreement that the Unions and Employers have signed.
What happens next?
All employers who are party to this claim are united and absolutely committed to this important mahi and will continue to prioritise this until we have a solution in place that delivers pay equity by correcting gender-based pay discrimination against all support workers.
If you have any questions or would like any further information please feel free to contact Kate Single, on Kate.Single@ccsDisabilityAction.org.nz