The aged care operator’s at-home service is being targeted from today, with stop-work rallies to kick off on Fridays for the next two months.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation members employed as nurses, personal care workers, and midwives at Bolton Clarke have escalated their protected industrial action today as part of their campaign for respectful and fair wage increases.
Nurses at Bolton Clarke’s at-home nursing service stopped the assessment and admission of new clients, excluding clients with personal alarms, palliative care, oncology and paediatrics, at 7am today.
Nurses, midwives, and personal care workers will also start rolling two-hour stop-work rallies, scheduled each Friday from 1pm to 3pm, during August and September.
“Nurses, midwives and personal care workers are escalating their industrial action with a heavy heart because Bolton Clarke is not listening and continues to take advantage of their caring nature,” said ANMF (Victorian Branch) secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick.
“We’d like to reassure Bolton Clarke’s aged care residents, clients and their families that there may be some disruption or inconvenience for management, but there will be no risk to health, welfare and safety.
“The aged care royal commission found employers, the government and unions had to work together to increase wages to strengthen employers’ ability to recruit and retain a skilled workforce.
“The Albanese Government has provided Bolton Clarke with millions of dollars for increased wages and to pay for enough staff to implement the daily mandated 200 care minutes for each resident.
“ANMF has made a successful aged care wage case in the Fair Work Commission fully funded by the government.
“Meanwhile Bolton Clarke is working to suppress wage increases for current staff and cutting wages for new staff so nurses and carers will be earning different pay for the same work,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.
For the past 18 months, the ANMF (Vic Branch) has been negotiating wages and conditions on behalf of about 1700 members working across Bolton Clarke’s 22 residential aged care facilities, at-home nursing program, Homeless Persons Nursing Program and maternal and child health line.
Bolton Clarke’s Victorian aged care facilities are located across Melbourne, Geelong, and the Mornington Peninsula.
After initially making a 0% wage offer, Bolton Clarke has offered a one-year agreement with a 2% pay increase on some of the lowest rates in Victoria and a new lower pay rate scale for new employees. ANMF is seeking improved conditions and a minimum four per cent increase to match the wages of more competitive aged care providers.
Members began stage one protected industrial action on Monday 15 July, including wearing red campaign t-shirts at work; talking about their campaign with residents, clients, the media and the community; writing campaign messages on work cars; a ban on redeployment; and administrative and non-clinical documentation bans.
Bolton Clarke, Australia’s largest not-for-profit aged care provider, wrote to ANMF on 11 July foreshadowing it would “take employer response action under section 411 of the Fair Work Act, by way of lockout”.
The major national Queensland-based organisation formed in 2016 when RSL Care in Queensland merged with Victoria’s Royal District Nursing Service. In 2022 it acquired 22 Allity and McKenzie nursing homes in Victoria.