The Victorian Government has paid out 80,000 claims from 55,000 workers as part of a new trial, in which workers are compensated for missing work to care for themselves or a loved one.
The workers are able to access up to 38 hours of sick and carer’s pay each year, paid at the national minimum wage.
The $245.7 million trial is designed to stop workers being forced to choose between their health and a day’s pay, aiming to reduce workplace illnesses and injuries to keep businesses safer and more productive, Employment Minister Ben Carroll has explained.
“Workers shouldn’t feel forced to go to work sick because they can’t afford to miss a day’s pay,” he said.
The trial, which is running for two years, is only available to some industries so far, with most people involved working in retail, hospitality and aged and disability care.
The government has not ruled out expanding the trial to more workforces.
The jobs where staff work more hours than the rest of the country