Aged care workers have taken their fight for higher wages to the Fair Work Commission as inflation continues to bite around Australia.
The Health Services Union, representing staff from personal care workers to catering and cleaning, is calling for a 25 percent wage increase for staff in the sector.
“It is certainly a political issue now and the pandemic has exemplified these concerns,” HSU National President Gerard Hayes told AAP.
Entry-level personal care workers can be paid as little as $21.96 per hour (US$15.21 per hour), the union said.
The case which begins on Tuesday seeks to lift wages by between $5.40 and $7.20 per hour, increasing the average pay for aged care workers to around $29 per hour.
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