We're working hard across all of our sectors to provide HACSU members with timely advice about your rights and your employer’s obligations.
Over the past week we’ve engaged with employers across all sectors to keep them abreast of the issues and identify where we can work together to address them and, at a national level, we're engaging with the Federal Government around supporting our workforce.
Most, if not all, HACSU members will be on the front lines of any response to this virus and we've been lobbying hard to ensure frontline workers aren't financially disadvantaged should they contract the virus - this is extremely important and we continue to press it at every opportunity with the State and Federal Governments.
Yesterday, we met with Senior Industrial Relations from the Department of health to talk about the arrangements that need to be made to assist the workforce. Some of these included resolving issues around communication, addressing workers’ safety and concerns (particularly addressing inconsistent messages around PPE), redeployment issues for workers who may be vulnerable and surge workforce in the event that we need to call on additional workers.
This work needs to be done urgently and the solutions may be complex.
As circumstances are changing rapidly, the Department of Health has requested that we ask members to read email updates, if they can, as these are really important and the best way for you to get direct information from them, and you should read updates from employers as they come through.
In aged care and disability we’re continuing to press employers and the government on PPE and ensuring that it’s available.
We’re also pushing for the additional payments to direct aged care workers to be given to every worker in aged care and expanded to include the disability workforce.
We met with the disability sector peak body, National Disability Services, and a number of employers last week where we agreed to collectively address many concerns as they relate to the workforce, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to address some of the key issues and lobby for change together.
At a national level we're also working to directly engage with the Federal Government on these matters too.
HACSUassist now operates from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday.
We've increased our working hours to ensure we’re available to hear from you to help with any issue.
We really want to hear from you and provide any information you might need so, in the current changing environment, feel free to contact us regardless of how small you feel the issue might be.
Please take care and look after your own and your workmates’ safety. Please follow the rules.
