Aged care AINs and PCWs secure 23 per cent pay rise

An increase to award wages for Certificate III aged care workers has "finally" been secured.

The Fair Work Commission ordered pay increases of 23 per cent for assistants in nursing (AINs) and personal care workers (PCWs) with a Certificate III qualification.

The increase includes last year's 15 per cent increase.

NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) general secretary Shaye Candish said the latest rounds of increases were due to the members' push for aged care reform.

"This is a massive achievement for AINs and PCWs working in the sector, and was won through the passion and hard work of union members who were willing to stand up for their rights at work," Ms Candish said.

"Over the coming weeks, the Fair Work Commission will hold hearings to determine issues relating to the rollout of this increase.

"We are calling on the federal government to fully fund these increases, and for aged care providers to pass these increases on to staff."

The Commission’s ruling will set a new minimum award rate of $1223.90 weekly for Certificate III-qualified AINs. A team leader's new award rate will be $1370.80.

For an AIN who has undertaken a Certificate IV unit of competency, like in medication, the new award rate will be either $1272.90 or $1321.80, depending on years of experience.

The Commission has yet to decide when the increases will take effect but said the sector's work was historically "undervalued because of assumptions based on gender”.

The decision was mainly due to more skills and responsibilities AINs and PCWs had acquired since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The normalisation and "embedding" of enhanced infection prevention and control measures in aged care have led to the implementation of "additional skills and responsibilities, further training, and modifications to the work environment", as stated by the Commission.

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