DCR goes to ballot - Vote No!
Our Union, The Services Union, is by your side during negotiations for a new Direct Care Resources Enterprise Bargaining Agreement 2023.
Negotiations commenced in December 2021 with our union lobbying strongly for workers at Direct Care Resources to be paid a fair hourly rate and correctly classified as Disability Support Workers NOT Home Care Workers. By classifying you as Home Care workers, DCR is committing wage theft and ripping off the taxpayer funded NDIS system. DCR are pocketing the difference between what they are funded by the NDIS to deliver – Disability Support Work – and what they are paying you as Home Care Workers.
Our Union’s commitment to this position is based on a deep desire to ensure a fair and equitable NDIS system that benefits people with a disability and the workers that support them NOT lining the profiteering pockets of companies like Direct Care Resources.
These negotiations have been long and drawn out and you are not alone if you are feeling frustrated by this process. As a Union we have made all possible attempts to work constructively through this process, but DCR is sticking to their position to continue to undervalue your work and steal your wages. Now, despite agreement not being reached by DCR and the negotiating parties, DCR is putting their proposed offer out for workers to vote on.
Direct Care Resources Proposed Offer
- Wages – DCR’s proposed wage offer is based on the bare minimum Award rates for Home Care Workers and the bare minimum allowances under the award. DCR have not even bothered to offer you a year-on-year percentage increase through this proposed agreement. DCR will continue to pay the minimum award home care rates for the life of this agreement. By classifying you as Home Care Workers DCR will see that every Disability Support Worker is underpaid by $992.85 to $1,004.19 per fortnight.
- First Aid Allowance – DCR have proposed to pay workers for the cost of obtaining a First Aid Certificate and the time taken to undertake this training. This falls short of the Award and industry standard. The current First Aid Allowance under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 provides for an allowance that is equivalent to $990.60 per annum. DCR’s proposal serves to rip off workers up to $500.00 per year.
You wouldn’t be alone if on reading Direct Care Resources proposed offer you felt undervalued and underwhelmed by what is being offered by management.
If you would like to be properly valued for the work you do – Vote NO
What happens next?
DCR has advised employees that they will be putting the proposed Enterprise Agreement out to a ballot of all employees and you should vote NO.
When workers vote NO it will send a strong message to DCR that workers do not support their wage theft and profiteering business model. When workers vote NO our Union will file an Intractable Bargaining Declaration so that the Fair Work Commission can finally have their say and assess once and for all if your work is Disability Support Work. When workers vote NO, DCR will be forced to reconsider their position.
Additionally, our union is using all avenues available to us to alert authorities to this wage theft case. Minister for the NDIS Bill Shorten, and his office, have been made aware of the situation and the Fair Work Ombudsman is also investigating this as a matter of wage theft. To read more on this, click here . You can find a copy of our correspondence to Minister Shorten here .
VOTE NO when you receive your EBA ballot.
If you have any questions you can contact your Union Organiser Imogen Smith – 0419 679 479 or at [email protected]
If you're reading this and not a member of our union, now is the time to join and support your colleagues in the fight for wage justice!