tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17759756.post3608293418140052542..comments2023-10-30T02:03:56.081+13:00Comments on Capitalism Bad; Tree Pretty: MPs shocked about the predictable effects of their policiesMaiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17212711843307060731noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17759756.post-49629034196186130902007-05-11T18:12:00.000+12:002007-05-11T18:12:00.000+12:00Good call, Maia.Good call, Maia.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17759756.post-11747962159731389162007-05-10T21:55:00.000+12:002007-05-10T21:55:00.000+12:00Mia, it's a lot more expensive to loose a contract...Mia, it's a lot more expensive to loose a contract than it is to provide minimum wage staff.<BR/><BR/>Ergo, these providers had plenty of incentive to maintain standards.<BR/><BR/>Oh the other hand, it would hurt no one for standards to increase. Current funding is bare-bone I understand and should be boosted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17759756.post-16873926311367260292007-05-10T01:31:00.000+12:002007-05-10T01:31:00.000+12:00As well as the appalling low wages, another proble...As well as the appalling low wages, another problem is the way that part time wages affect unemployment benefits. Because there are so many agencies now, and the contracts are spread out amongst them (at least this is true in rural and smaller centres) it can mean that workers can't be offered enough hours to make it worth getting off the benefit. I've known of home care workers who end up working for essentially no extra money than they get from their benefit (because of how ISS deducts from benefits for income earned). The agencies largely are in denial about this and tend to imply that beneficiaries don't want the work.<BR/><BR/>It's a worry that there is so much emphasis in that article about the Health and Disability Commissioner. I doubt that they can address issues of underfunding so all those complaints are just going to tie up further govt resources but do little to change the underlying problems in the short or medium term.<BR/><BR/>Plus, taking a complaint to the HDC is time and energy consuming. Most people who need homehelp are probably going to find that really hard.<BR/><BR/><BR/>If MPs really don't understand the underlying problems here then they're listening the wrong people. Although I tend to agree Maia - they're fools or liars. This is an old issue and there's been adequate time for people to know what has been going on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com