Nurse Maude home support workers and members of the Public Service Association Te PÅ«kenga Here Tikanga Mahi are today attending rallies in Porirua, Nelson, and Christchurch to push for fair pay and better conditions.
Nurse Maude home support workers and members of the Public Service Association Te PÅ«kenga Here Tikanga Mahi are today attending rallies in Porirua, Nelson, and Christchurch to push for fair pay and better conditions. “At some point in our lives, all of us need a little extra care around us to live well at home. Whether we’re in our older years, we’ve been ill or injured, live with complex health needs or recently had surgery, home support workers make a huge difference,” said PSA Assistant Secretary Melissa Woolley. But the pay and conditions for home support workers at Nurse Maude is putting them under huge strain and making it challenging to support clients well. “We’ve been trying to agree on a new collective agreement for two years and we still don’t have an offer we can accept. Nurse Maude isn’t offering any pay increase despite the cost-of-living crisis. They are only offering very small lump sum payments of $350 or less – before tax – which, for most workers, doesn’t cover a week’s rent,” said Woolley. “We are calling on Nurse Maude to offer a fair pay rise, better conditions, and a new collective agreement. “With the inflation rate still…