Frontline care workers who could stand to lose thousands per year are planning to strike as RDNS SA proposes significant cuts to their wages and conditions.
“RDNS SA has broken a promise it made to a large portion of its South Australian workforce,” Health Services Union SA Branch Secretary, Billy Elrick said.
The aged care workers and allied health professionals, whose wages RDNS are proposing to cut, are former public sector employees who came across as part of RDNS’s purchase of Domiciliary Care.
“At the time of the handover, these workers were given the option to stay in the public sector or choose to transfer to RDNS, they chose to transfer on the promise that they would never be worse off,” Mr Elrick said.
“The HSU entered this enterprise agreement bargaining process in good faith, but it has become clear that RDNS SA lied to its workers and has no intention of keeping this promise.
“RDNS workers have been on the frontline throughout this pandemic caring for vulnerable members of our community and deserve better than this.”
The HSU SA branch has filed for protected industrial action with the Fair Work Commission on behalf of the workers.
“Our members don’t take the threat of industrial action lightly, but they are angry, and they have been left with no choice by their employer,” Mr Elrick said.
“We continue to call on RDNS to honour their previous commitments and come to bargaining table with an agreement that won’t leave these essential workers worse off.”
