OCA - Oceania Group - retirement villages

[Panda-NZ-]

It's also working conditions I think. Who wants to do this sort of thing when you can get a job in retail, a supermarket or some other laid back position.

[iceman]

It's also working conditions I think. Who wants to do this sort of thing when you can get a job in retail, a supermarket or some other laid back position.

Lots of people like to work as caregivers and get an enormous satisfaction from it. The ones I have met a generally wonderful and very kind people that like to do what they do. Of course they deserve a fair remuneration and conditions for what they do. Everybody does. But what is fair ?

[Ggcc]

Not really an Oceania specific issue, but surely it is the government that sets the maximum contribution for residential care, which is also the amount that residents, ineligible for a residential care government subsidy pay for the basic care package. This is set whether or not individual residents feel entitled. So is it the government that is squeezing the sector to avoid raising taxes to pay more adequately/generously for rest home services? Residents can still opt to pay for additional "premium" services.

Supply (whether from overseas or NZ) and demand may determine labour rates. So immigration policies do help to determine pay rates. Similarly, emigration affects supply - for example if NZ workers are enticed overseas by higher salaries and cheaper housing/accommodation.

I understand what you are saying, but the “greedy company” gets the blame not the government.

Some of these residents also work as kitchen hands, cleaners, gardeners and when they are not caring for residents get lower wages than caring for residents. The company can chose voluntarily to pay more, but in reality can’t.

Oceania mentioned they are negotiating with the government with a shortfall in funding, as wage costs increased faster than the governments increase in funding.

[bull....]

some cheap slaves from a far will keep them all happy

[Panda-NZ-]

Lots of people like to work as caregivers and get an enormous satisfaction from it. The ones I have met a generally wonderful and very kind people that like to do what they do. Of course they deserve a fair remuneration and conditions for what they do. Everybody does. But what is fair ?

Maybe something above the absolute minimum post-inflation (which has been 4-5% this year).

[Ggcc]

some cheap slaves from a far will keep them all happy

Are you blaming the company or the government? Labour always looks after the worker………..

[mike2020]

Depending on what you consider a worker I'd have to wonder if I'm missing the sarcasm? Never has an nz government overseen such a massive rise in inequality. I still think labour only won the last election the one previous should have been bill English's and there was a man with a long term social plan. All this Eastside westside stuff isn't really about oca. Yes the company needs more funding.

[Bjauck]

Are you blaming the company or the government? Labour always looks after the worker………..

Not this Labour government or PM, apart from just lip service!

[mike2020]

Exactly. If the retirement industry needs to make money out of property to subsidize care what does that say about any govt. How can a company be accused of greed in that scenario?

[Beagle]

I understand what you are saying, but the “greedy company” gets the blame not the government.

Some of these residents also work as kitchen hands, cleaners, gardeners and when they are not caring for residents get lower wages than caring for residents. The company can chose voluntarily to pay more, but in reality can’t.

Oceania mentioned they are negotiating with the government with a shortfall in funding, as wage costs increased faster than the governments increase in funding.

That hits the nail directly on the head !

Government deliberately underfunding this sector and OCA in formal dispute with them for 4.8% underfunding of basic care services.
Government choosing to not even be interested in discussing the extra Covid costs this sector has had to bear.
Property profits have been subsidising the true cost of care services ever since OCA was floated to the tune of many, many millions per annum.

If people are going to apportion blame for the low wages for low skilled workers in this sector please blame the Government and not the company.

As an aside, I do believe that many people choose this line of work because they find it richly rewarding in ways other than financially. Only natural some of them would get burnout. Anyone not looking to upskill and climbing the ranks to become level 4 caregiver and earning circa $27-28 per hour maybe should look in the mirror and ask why they're not putting in the effort ? Better still, with the desperate shortage of trained nurses why not train to be a registered nurse and earn $40 an hour ? I suppose its easier for people to sit on their backsides and blame others...

Since Adam was a boy if you're prepared to put in some effort with training and education you'll earn a lot more than if you don't.