Gerard Hayes HSU Secretary | Public figure
Gerard Hayes HSU Secretary
Phone: 1300 478 679
Reviews
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25.01.2022 It's time to take the politics out of Aged Care funding
25.01.2022 The World Health Organization has declared 2021 the International Year of Health & Care Workers. Health and care workers have guided our community through this crisis, often making enormous personal sacrifices. This year we renew our focus on investment in health workforce readiness, education and maintaining our health services as we navigate this pandemic and prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine.... This year, and every year, we are proud to be union.
25.01.2022 Tonight I gathered with parliamentarians and aged care professionals from all over the country to discuss the HSU’s proposal to fix the crisis facing aged care. The time for empty thankyous is over, we need solutions and decisive action.
23.01.2022 LIVE with Anthony Albanese talking to aged care workers about their experience on the front line
23.01.2022 An Important update for all HSU Members in Aged Care.
23.01.2022 The first case of COVID-19 in an aged care facility was reported on the 4th of March. It’s now August and there is still no National Strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in aged care. I spoke to the 7:30 report about the aged care workforce and the Royal Commission's findings this week. ... https://www.abc.net.au//royal-commission-says-age/12556552
22.01.2022 This decision to cut health workers’ wages in the midst of a pandemic is wrong. And we will fight it, every step of the way.
22.01.2022 Right now, aged care workers are earing an average of $23 an hour and retiring with an average superannuation balance of $18,000. This workforce is retiring into poverty - we cannot stand by. We need action from the Federal Government now. I spoke to the ABC about our plan to fix the aged care sector ... https://www.abc.net.au//working-and-the-future-of/12686422
20.01.2022 There couldn't be a worse time for Lismore City Council to walk away from its obligations and abandon the very successful free parking program in the hospital precinct. We're in the midst of a pandemic and Council wants to reintroduce paid parking that will undoubtedly obstruct testing procedures. It's time they reexamine their priorities.
18.01.2022 Our aged care campaign on The Project last night. Why is our fight so important? Check it out
18.01.2022 I had the pleasure of joining some of our aged care members at Parliament House today. I can't tell you how proud I am of their energy and determination.
18.01.2022 LIVE: HSU Secretary Gerard Hayes announcing the aged care work value case lodged by HSU members in the Fair Work Commission
17.01.2022 I know only too well the importance of motorcycle safety. That's me in younger days as an Intensive Care Paramedic, when every minute in getting to a patient was vital. Even despite the need for speed, however, motorcycle safety was always paramount. Accidents and life-threatening injuries are always just a moment away. We mark this year's Motorcycle Safety Month and ask you always to look out for motorcyclists. We're all road users and need to respect each other.
16.01.2022 I was delighted to learn that, thanks to the unrelenting pressure applied by HSU members, the NSW Government has finally decided to keep its promise of free parking at the new Tweed Valley Hospital. This is an incredible win for health workers and for the community. We've said it all along - no health worker should have to pay to park at their own workplace. Nor should patients and visitors be forced to pay exorbitant fees at their most vulnerable. I applaud this decision.
15.01.2022 Today is RUOK Day, a reminder that every day is an opportunity to start a conversation that could save a life. It's been a challenging year for many HSU members, working on the front lines of a pandemic. Today is an important reminder to check in with your colleagues, fellow unionists, family members and friends. For more information visit: https://www.ruok.org.au/
14.01.2022 An important win for HSU members, and for all aged care workers! In response to an action brought by the HSU, the Fair Work Commission ruled this week that Presbyterian Aged Care members who had been stood down due to their exposure to a resident who was potentially exposed to coronavirus should be recredited the leave they were forced to take. This pandemic has been hard on us all, but it's completely unfair and unbalanced to expect low-paid workers to bear the financial bur...den. The devotion and care on display from aged care workers has been exemplary - so to ask them to reach into their own pockets is a low request indeed. We'll be considering bringing other cases where this has occurred. Full text in the comments.
14.01.2022 This is a fantastic step forward. No worker should have to decide between paying their bills and self-isolating when necessary.
14.01.2022 Today I appeared in front of the NSW Parliament Select Committee talking about the crisis in Aged Care. HSU members are drowning and we need action now. I'm pleased to see that politicians seem to finally be paying attention to staffing in Aged Care, but the truth is there is no 'silver bullet' solution. We need proper staffing across the board.
13.01.2022 Today is World Pharmacist Day. I'd like to extend all warm thank you to all HSU members working in pharmacy. Thank you for all of your hard work today and every day.
13.01.2022 Today marks the start of Dental Workers Recognition Week. I visited Westmead Hospital to acknowledge the hard work that our oral health members do. It is too often that these workers get overlooked, but it goes without saying that they are some of the most dedicated players in our health system. Thank you for all the work you do. Not just today, but everyday.
13.01.2022 This is the second day in a row that NSW has recorded no new cases. This milestone is a credit to all HSU members who have been working on the frontlines of this crisis. Of course, this isn't the end but it is an important reminder - we are getting there.
11.01.2022 The Fair Work Ombudsman should conduct an industry wide audit in aged care to determine if people are being paid appropriately. There should be serious penalties for wage theft.
11.01.2022 If you're a HSU member at Concord Hospital and you need any support, don't wait, please contact us on 1300 478 679. It's more important than ever that we stand together.
10.01.2022 I was very happy to join the Mayor of Canterbury Bankstown Council today to announce an extension to free, untimed parking for health workers around Canterbury and Bankstown Hospitals for a further 6 months. We need more councils to come out in support of health workers in this difficult time. We're still very far from through the pandemic, and adding further financial stress and strain is the last thing anyone needs. Health workers need to be able to park at their workplaces with a minimum of fuss. Canterbury Bankstown Council have recognised the extraordinary service health workers have rendered to the community - why shouldn't other councils do the same?
09.01.2022 Just a few of the dedicated HSU members down at Sydney Dental Hospital! As Secretary of a union that comprises tens of thousands of members from all different areas of our health, aged care and disability sectors, I want to make sure everyone has their moment in the spotlight. Thank you to the dental workers working behind the scenes to look after our oral health!
08.01.2022 No one should be unsafe at work. Right now, health workers just don’t have enough security officers to cope with increasingly common hospital violence. We urgently need more security officers in hospitals across the State and NSW Health should review the protocols around transferring patients from police custody to hospital.... A warning, this article contains graphic images.
07.01.2022 Our aged care sector desperately needs more staff with greater training and higher pay. For too long the system has relied on the goodwill of an underpaid, undervalued workforce. This morning, alongside Lisa - a hardworking aged care professional - I spoke to the ABC about our proposal to increase the Medicare Levy to support our elderly. Listen in
07.01.2022 Happy International Pathology Day to all of our hardworking Pathologists.
07.01.2022 LIVE: discussing the Industrial Relation Commission's decision today, and the need to abolish the wages policy.
06.01.2022 The Senate has just censured Richard Colbeck for failing to manage his duties as the Minister for Aged Care. The Minister should resign today, or the Prime Minister should sack him. Our elderly, and the workforce who care for them deserve more. ... https://thenewdaily.com.au//richard-colbeck-censured-sena/
06.01.2022 Great to have Anthony Albanese join me this morning to meet with aged care workers and to hear their stories of working through the COVID-19 crisis. These brave professionals are doing everything they can on the front lines, but they are being let down by the Federal Government. These workers need pandemic leave, adequate PPE and ultimately, they should be paid more than $22 an hour. The Government must step up.
06.01.2022 Today the Industrial Relations Commission has approved a pay increase of a pathetic 0.3%- in effect, supporting the NSW Government's heartless pay freeze. The HSU is committed to continuing the fight to give our COVID heroes the pay increase they deserve. It's time to abolish the Wages Policy.
05.01.2022 Bureau of Health Information data shows that ambulance response times are spiralling out of control, and people in the Western Suburbs of Sydney are disproportionately affected. We need urgent action from the NSW Government now to recruit and train more paramedics and backfill leave. We've said it before and we will continue to say it - your postcode should not determine your access to life-saving healthcare.
05.01.2022 Real thanks means real change!
04.01.2022 Hospital wards don't staff themselves. Adding new facilities without adequate staff is a recipe for disaster. I stand with Port Macquarie members in their fight for proper staffing in the new ward. These members care about safety for their community and for themselves, and I applaud them.
02.01.2022 Unions are leading the way in aged care. My message is clear: a properly and transparently funded aged care sector will lead to better pay and conditions for all aged care workers only this will ensure the high-quality care that all older Australians deserve. It's time for the Federal Government to act.
02.01.2022 NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. This is excellent news and a credit to all of the HSU members working on the frontlines of this pandemic. This isn't the end, but an important reminder to stay vigilant and safe - we are getting there.
02.01.2022 Today I have the privilege of standing beside our courageous aged care members as we launch this historic work value case. The starting rate of pay for a personal care worker is $21.96 an hour and the average aged care worker will retire with $18,000 in superannuation savings. These workers who provide care and support for the most frail and vulnerable in our community, often retire into poverty after a working life in low paid insecure work, it is unacceptable.... Today, we are taking a stand - fixing our aged care sector begins with valuing the workforce who care for our elderly.
01.01.2022 This morning, I'm joining other aged care union leaders and delivering a call for Action in Aged Care. It's only too clear that the aged care system has failed our elderly Australians. But it's also failed the aged care workforce - a group of workers, mainly women, who have been let down time and time again. I won't stand for a system where dedicated workers retire to a life of poverty, or an aged care resident sits alone and neglected because their facility is desperately understaffed. Unions are providing answers, so where is the action from the government?
