HSU members met last week to discuss what HammondCare have tabled to your HSU Bargaining Team.

What is being offered?

New Classification Structure

HammondCare are proposing a merger of roles. There will now be 2 main classifications for non-nursing staff. A ‘Specialised Carer” and a ‘Services Support Employee’.

Those staff who are now a Specialist Dementia Carer, HammondCare at Home Care Worker, or Carer Service Employee (that is performing direct care) would become a Specialised Carer. HammondCare have stated that there will still be 3 distinct streams of carers:

• Home Care
• Dementia Care
• Residential Care

HSU members questioned HammondCare whether this will allow, for example, an SDC to be directed to perform a Home Care shift. HammondCare have gone on record to us and said that it isn’t the intention to do that, and it will be up to the employee.

For those workers that are a Care Service Employee who work in areas such as food services, laundry services, or cleaning services, you would fall under the ‘Services Support Employee’. This would replace the Support and Maintenance Streams of the current “Care and Support Services Employees”.

Wage Offer

Because HammondCare want to merge 3 roles into the proposed ‘Specialised Carer’, they have had to make a ‘harmonisation increase’. What this means is that each classification will get a different increase for 2023. Click here for a spreadsheet that breaks down these increases. Then for years 2024 and 2025, HammondCare are proposing a 3% increase for both years.

What’s next?

Your HSU Bargaining Team are meeting with management next week to hear HammondCare’s response to your priority claims of:

• A fair wage offer
• Special sick leave
• Medication allowance
• Improved travel expenses
• Administration allowance
• Short staffing allowance

To get all the details, make sure to join our online member meeting on Zoom:

Date: Thursday 3 August

Time: 5:00pm

Link: https://hsu-asn-au.zoom.us/j/85673919776

Do you know someone who isn’t an HSU member? Encourage them to join our Union today and have a say at work. We are always stronger when we stand together.

New members can join at www.hsu.asn.au/join or call 1300 478 679.