News
Dozens of disability workers are set to rally in Melbourne this afternoon, citing a lack of action on pay and conditions.
The Health and Community Services Union Victoria are calling on the state and federal Labor governments not to forget about them.
“These workers help those living with a disability in our society lead a life with joy, meaning and dignity. They are under-appreciated all-rounders," Paul Healey, State Secretary of HACSU, says.
The protest coincides with the launch of the union’s disability campaign, which focuses on raising wages and improving conditions.
While the Albanese Government has raised the wages of aged care workers and childcare workers, disability support workers continue to miss out.
If we don’t support these workers, they will leave this incredibly rewarding profession
Paul Healey
“We must give these people what they deserve, and the equivalent of an extra few dollars an hour is all we are asking for. It shouldn’t be that hard.”
The NDIS is facing a workforce crisis, with one in four workers considering leaving the profession.
Disability support workers will rally outside Victorian Parliament at 2:30pm today to urge Labor not to leave them behind. A quarter of participants will be removing over-shirts to represent the number of employees considering leaving the sector.
The rally comes after providers and support workers from across the nation visited Parliament House in Canberra last month to lobby the government for a pay rise.
The National Secretary of the Health Services Union, Lloyd Williams, voiced his concerns for the sector.
If we don't provide disability support workers with better pay and conditions, we will not be able to attract workers to the sector and we won't be able to retain those…that are experienced.
Lloyd Williams