After months of collective action, including stop work meetings and bans, you have forced Southern Cross Care to back down on cutting your paid breaks!

SCC sent us a brief email late yesterday saying that they “will leave paid meal breaks in the agreement”. This is a massive win, meaning that you and your colleagues won’t have to work more for less, and your residents are better protected during meal times.

This will help aged care workers not only at SCC but across the state – we’ve proven to any aged care provider who wants to cut their staff’s conditions that workers will stand together and fight back. You should be proud of this great achievement!

That said, we still have work to do. There are a few other conditions they want to take away, and their wage offer is still pathetic. SCC have agreed to meet with your HACSU bargaining team this Thursday 7 April to progress negotiations.

While we will continue to fight to ensure that you get a decent agreement with a decent wage increase, your HACSU delegates are meeting this evening to consider suspending current industrial action during these negotiations.

Planned stop work action at Glenara Lakes on Wednesday will not go ahead this week. If we lift the current industrial action, we will make it clear that you will do it all over again if they don’t negotiate in good faith and offer you a decent pay increase. Keep an eye out for our following updates and keep up the good work.