New Zealand nurses are upping the ante in their fight for fair pay for aged care workers ahead of this year’s general election.

Unions and aged care workers have delivered the government more than 11,000 signed charters demanding quality care for older New Zealanders.

The New Zealand Nurses Union, which represents more than 46,000 nurses and health workers, has joined the Service and Food Workers Union in calling for minimum staffing levels, fair pay, nationally consistent training and the transparent use of public funding.

The call comes amid forecasts that the number of people over the age of 65 in the country will double by 2050.

The NZNO charter states the average hourly rate for an aged care health care assistant is $14.50 an hour while a public hospital health care assistant receives $18.46 an hour.

The charter states: “That’s not fair! And it is even more unfair that the government pays the wages of both employees.

“We do not accept that caring for the elderly should be done on the cheap. In other sectors we have successfully campaigned that people doing similar work get paid similar wages. Aged care needs the same consideration and opportunity.”

NZNO member Janine Kidd said the New Zealand public supported the union’s campaign to achieve quality care for older New Zealanders.