Aged care workers have secured a substantial victory in their prolonged Fair Work case, resulting in wage increases of up to 28 per cent across the sector.
Initiated by the Health Services Union (HSU) in November 2020, the case aimed for a 25 per cent wage hike for all employees, citing the evolving complexity of their work, predominantly performed by female workers.
Despite an interim 15 per cent pay rise for direct care employees, the union persisted, highlighting ongoing wage inadequacies and the pressing need to address staff shortages.
Now, hourly wages for direct care workers will rise by 18 to 28 per cent, inclusive of the prior 15 per cent, significantly impacting pay scales. Laundry hands, cleaners and food services assistants will be moved from Level 2 to Level 3 in the Aged Care Award classification structure for indirect care employees. This will result in a total pay increase for workers in these roles of 6.96 per cent, inclusive of the three per cent increase awarded to indirect care employees generally.
Aged Care Award – PCWs
| Existing PCW classification – Aged Care Award | New DCE classification – Aged Care Award | Pay increase (inclusive of interim increase) |
| Level 1 | Level 1 | 20.9% |
| Level 2 Level 3 | Level 2 | 22.8% 18.2% |
| Level 4 | Level 3 | 23% |
| Level 5 (without Certificate IV) | Level 4 | 23.7% |
| Level 5 (with Certificate IV) Level 6 | Level 5 | 28.5% 21.9% |
| Level 7 | Level 6 | 24.2% |
| Existing AIN classification – Nurses Award | New classification – Aged Care Award | Pay increase (inclusive of interim increase) |
| 1st year if less than 3 months’ experience | Level 1 | 17.9% |
| 1st year, after 3 months experience 2nd-year 3rd year | Level 2 | 24.5% 22.6% 20.6% |
| Experienced | Level 3 | 23% |
| – | Level 4 | – |
| – | Level 5 | – |
| – | Level 6 | – |
| Existing HCW classification – SCHADS Award | New HCW classification – SCHADS Award | Pay increase (inclusive of interim increase) |
| Level 1 Less than 3 months experience After 3 months experience | Level 1 Level 2 | 19.5% 26.1% |
| Level 2 Pay point 1 Pay point 2 | Level 2 Level 2 | 19.3% 18.4% |
| Level 3 Pay point 1 Pay point 2 | Level 3 Level 3 | 23% 19.3% |
| Level 4 (without Certificate IV) Pay point 1 Pay point 2 | Level 4 Level 4 | 17.3% 15.0% |
| Level 4 (with Certificate IV) Pay point 1 Pay point 2 | Level 5 Level 5 | 21.8% 19.4% |
| Existing HCW classification – SCHADS Award | New HCW classification – SCHADS Award | Pay increase (inclusive of interim increase) |
| Level 5 Pay point 1 Pay point 2 | Level 6 Level 6 | 17.8% 13.3% |
For a personal care worker, the increase will see their hourly rate go from $23.10 to $32.52 per hour.
“For the last decade aged care has been held together by the goodwill and commitment of a severely underpaid, insecurely employed workforce. Today those workers have won wage justice”
HSU National President, Gerard Hayes
The union also acknowledged that people in administration and maintenance have not received the wage increase and that efforts will continue to lift their wages.
Now they need to raise the RN pay rate to the level of Hospital working RN. At present to sends a message to all degrees RN that they are not looked on as worthy in Aged care as they are in hospital work.