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Government should fund sleepover workers wages

Thursday 17 February 2011, 6:51AM

By Alliance Party

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Alliance Party Disability Issues Spokesperson Chris Ford has called on the Government to honour the Court of Appeal decision granting sleepover workers full pay.

“It’s high time that these workers are recognised for the work they do. They provide support for people with intellectual disabilities who have high needs. At times, this isn’t easy work but it does give this group of people the right to live and participate in their communities. The Government should recognise this through stumping up the $500 million required to implement this judgement,” says Mr Ford.

The Alliance believes the Government shouldn’t plead poverty in this case given the size of the deficit. Mr Ford pointed out that if the Government denies funding and, more ominously, legislates to take sleepover workers out of minimum wage coverage, it would be doing lowly paid care workers a disservice.

“After all the Government can afford to give tax cuts to the wealthy, buy new ministerial limos, pay for Rugby World Cup party venues, and bail out finance companies. It’s amazing that the Nats can do all this and yet say that they can’t afford additional spending on essential social needs due to a $15 billion deficit. If it thinks it can’t fund the pay of sleepover workers and then seeks to legislate them into being an inferior class of worker to circumvent this judgement, then they are mistaken.”

Mr Ford hopes that Prime Minister John Key, Finance Minister Bill English and Health Minister Tony Ryall will all have a change of heart over the issue. Otherwise, they might be all searching for jobs themselves at year’s end. Mr Ford also called on IHC management to pressure the Government into fully funding sleepover workers pay and not cave in to government intransigence.