Uniting AgeWell's bully tactics fail

AGED care workers gathered in Launceston in May to protest one employer's attempt at further cuts to staff pay.

The protest was organised in response to the proposed variation to Uniting AgeWell's paid meal break allowance. Members of the crowd, which neared 100 people, positioned themselves outside Uniting AgeWell's Kings Meadows facility near the busy Six Ways intersection. This well and truly let Uniting Agewell management know that they wouldn't take the loss of their paid meal breaks lying down. Members were there en masse with banners and a good old fashioned chant. ACTU general secretary Sally McManus, aged care workers from other facilities, members of the general public and some local politicians stood beside UAW workers to support them in their quest to keep the paid meal break entitlement and stop the attack on workers by their employer. The attempted removal of these breaks would put the safety of residents at risk and mean that staff would lose over $2000 a year, which they could not afford. Uniting Agewell had refused the HACSU request to deal with this issue in the next round of bargaining and the company put out a ballot to allow employees to vote on whether their entitlements would be reduced. However, with only hours before the ballot was due to close, UAW withdrew that ballot, and all the voting evidence was lost... They then instigated another voting process and must have spent a considerable amount money and resources with paid meetings with their staff. The walls of their facilities were adorned with 'vote yes' posters and one worker even said that posters were put up on the back of the toilet stall doors. HACSU posters put up in their lunch room were removed. In the week leading up to the vote all the UAW aged care homes in Tasmania were awash with suitedup management. On the day of the rally, just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, there were unexpected attendees as we were joined by a whole private security team. UAW had sunk to a new low. No aged care employer has ever called security on their own members before. Instead of supporting everyone to have paid breaks, UAW gave their money to security guards to block all exits to the Kings Meadows facility to stop us coming in and obviously to try and intimidate members who wanted to walk out. This attempt to bully workers failed, and the workers continued to stand tall. When the vote was finally counted it was a resounding NO vote!