In 2024, the company proposed to reduce the penalties, but keep them above the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry (SCHaDS) Award. However, this offer was taken off the table at the most recent meeting with the CPSU NSW, which represents ex-public service disability workers, who were privatised back in 2017 by the then Liberal-National Government.

“With Aruma’s budget issues continuing, it was proposed existing staff would be grand-parented and future staff would revert to the bare basics of the SCHaDS Award when commencing work,” said PSA CPSU NSW Assistant General Secretary Troy Wright. “Short term solutions which sell out future generations of disability support workers will fail to attract and retain new employees to the disability sector.”

The CPSU NSW opposes this move.

“Aruma management now seems to prefer to have the Fair Work Commission [FWC] assist in bargaining,” said Mr Wright. “The CPSU NSW has never opposed the assistance of the FWC or any other independent arbiter to help resolve a stalemate, dispute, or other industrial issue.

“This move shows the NSW State Government should never have backed out of the provision of disability support.”