Source: Etu Union
E tū, the union for care and support workers, is releasing a new report into the state of the care and support industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Transforming Care report lays out the many problems in the industry, including in residential aged care, home support, disability support, and mental health and addiction support.
The report tells the story of workers with their own voices, including a series of in-depth personal interviews with E tū members, the results of a survey of care and support workers, and support from various stakeholders across the community.
The report was compiled with the help of Dame Judy McGregor, who as first Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, released the 2012 Caring Counts report, a result of the inquiry into the equal employment opportunity issues in the aged care workforce. Caring Counts was a significant part of the evidence base that lead to the historic equal pay settlement in 2017.
The report will be presented to a government representative by care and support workers, as well as their community supporters.
E tū Assistant National Secretary, Annie Newman, says we have a real crisis in care and support, which needs urgent attention.
“Our report, and our wider Transforming Care campaign, has a focus on three core pillars – the value of care, the standard of care, and the funding of care.
“Workers need to be properly valued, especially through their pay, for their essential work. They need decent conditions to work in, with decent training and the right number of staff to do the work safely. The funding model needs a total overhaul so the interests of carers, those they care for, and their communities are taken into account.
“We know that we can only solve these problems with the input of our whole community, and we are thrilled to have the support of individuals and organisations that share our concerns and are eager to work together for real transformation.”
