Pay issue rears its ugly head

Pay issue rears its ugly head

Shaun Rosaia dreams of the future like any positive 25-year-old in a serious relationship.

Shaun – a Drug and Alcohol counsellor at Bendigo Community Health – will marry his long-time girlfriend Belinda later this year, with plans to one day buy a house and start a family.

It sounds simple enough, but he – like so many others in the social and community services sector – faces a problem. Despite his loyalty to those in need, and the satisfaction his gains through his somewhat unappreciated work, Shaun’s pay is simply at a level where enjoying some of his life’s desires may not become possible.

“From a personal perspective, I’m getting married and we are looking to buy a house and one day have kids. Obviously there is fears with interest rate rises, and as it stands I am simply out of the market to buy a house, mainly thanks to the low wages in the sector. At this point of time, any increase in my pay is going to really assist me, which is why I am supporting the Respect The Workers, Sustain The Services campaign,” said Shaun, who made a bold career choice when he first started looking for work.

“In my first ever job interviews, I had an opportunity to work for a not-for-profit organisation where I was offered $36,000 a year, compared to a position I was offered through Centrelink, where I would have earned $45,000 a year. At the age of 21, taking the government job and getting an extra $9,000 a year was certainly appealing. But coming from a social worker background, I decided that I really wanted to work with people most in need. I made that decision at that time to stay in the not-for-profit sector, but in the future - to progress in my career without barriers - I may have to take that option of a government job,” added Shaun.

And who could blame him? If pay and conditions do not improve rapidly in the social and community sector, Shaun may be one of many who will look elsewhere for employment. However Shaun is definitely not giving up. His active presence at the Respect The Workers, Sustain The Services launch at Bendigo – where he was interviewed by Channel 9’s Win News – highlights his dedication to creating a difference. He also realises that a single voice will not make a difference, highlighting the importance of the ASU in this fight for a change.

“The ASU are our voice. Without the ASU, we really are just individual people trying to state our claim. Collectively, we are a large number, meaning we have got a lot of pull. We have to utilise the ASU to get us together to give us a collective voice,” added Shaun, who also stressed the importance in a change to the current maternity leave system throughout the country.  

“I think a universal paternity and maternity leave system will provide positive opportunities in the workplace. It will certainly assist people when they do go through that stage, helping them maintain their job. That could be another huge barrier for people deciding whether they want to stay in the not-for-profit sector or head towards a government job. Anything like paid paternity leave might encourage people to either stay in the sector or to actually join the sector. That can only mean a positive outcome.”

Fed up: Shaun wants conditions and wages to match the selfless work he does. 

Leaving their mark: SACS workers show their support at the Bendigo launch