Photo: Photo / 123RF
The Union representing aged care workers, wants unrestricted sick leave brought in for its members as Covid-19 adds further strain on the sector.
Under the Government's new leave support scheme, that came into force on Friday, it is now easier for workers to get sick leave while they wait for their Covid-19 test.
It pays out the equivalent of the wage subsidy.
However the E tū union says it doesn't pay enough or go far enough, and the workforce still faces barriers to do the right thing, like staying at home if they feel at all unwell or have a runny nose. Meanwhile, there are similar concerns over sick leave for hotel workers, staffing isolation hotels.
For the most part it's a low paid casualised work force, often earning less than the living wage. E tū Director Sam Jones and Unite's John Crocker discuss with Kathryn Ryan.
