Community workers at stand alone community health centres offer crucial support to the Victorian community. They work as counsellors and support workers for people experiencing various difficulties including gamblers help, drug and alcohol counselling and bushfire relief.
Despite this, there is a significant gap between their rate of pay and conditions and those of their colleagues in the public health system – with many of whom they work side by side, hold the same qualifications, do the same or similar work and are also funded through the Department of Health.
This has led to problems in both recruiting and retaining workers and that means that services and the community are now suffering.
The current Enterprise Agreement commits workers, their union and their employers to working together to try and address this. Unfortunately, however, without better resources – in the form of improved funding dollars from the Victorian Government – despite all of the good will, there is little that can be done.
That makes the decision by the Victorian Government not to come to the table for these negotiations all the more devastating. This new approach – which will widen the gap in pay and conditions - suggests that the Victorian Government considers this work, and by inference, these clients and communities to be of less value.
If you think that this is wrong, send an email to the Victorian Minister of Health, Daniel Andrews asking him to reconsider his decision.
If you work in Community Health message Minister Andrews here
If you work elsewhere but support this campaign message the Minister here
