Health care assistants in New Zealand’s aged care sector are being paid an average wage of $14.55 an hour after three years’ service.

The revelation that assistants are taking home a pay packet of just $472.03 a week comes as the nation’s nurses union prepares to go into negotiations with the country’s two biggest residential aged care providers, Oceania and Bupa.

Both aged care providers last year posted massive profits, with Bupa’s care services arm recording a surplus of $265 million and Oceania, owned by the Australian Macquarie Bank, reporting a profit of $16.2 million on their New Zealand operations.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation spokesman Rob Haultain said the CPI has risen 5.3 percent in the last year resulting in workers losing more than $25 a week from their take home pay.

“Petrol has gone up 20.1 percent and food is up 7.5 percent so the value of our members’ wages has been significantly eroded over the last year,” he said.

“Many of our members are left with only $70 a week once their rent is paid. That is not acceptable.”

NZNO will join the Service and Food Workers Union in the negotiations. Together, they represent more than 3000 health workers in 101 Bupa and Oceania-owned aged care residential facilities.

Mr Haultain said New Zealand aged care health workers were earning much less than their colleagues working at District Health Boards.

“We are hoping that Oceania and Bupa will come to the table with a fair pay offer that reflects the contribution workers make to their massive profits,” he said.

“We certainly hope that these two employers understand the direct relationship between retaining valued staff by paying fairly, and the quality of care that residents receive.”

It’s been a tough year for the country’s aged care sector. The February earthquake resulted in people from seven aged care facilities being evacuated and 600 beds at aged care homes were destroyed.

New Zealand authorities are now investigating links between the earthquake evacuations and the subsequent deaths of 50 aged care residents.