Slave wages for disabled workers

May 31, 1995
Issue 
189

Slave wages for disabled workers

By Deirdre Graham

SYDNEY — Mentally disabled workers are working for as little as $3 a day, according to Wayne Ryan, a psychologist with the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA).

"Wages range from $3 to $5 a day, up to $8-$10 an hour", he said. "The profession is rotten from top to bottom. It is a crime. It's an imperialistic, self-centred industry. Stigmas and stereotypes are rife."

Ryan said that while an award was being worked out for sheltered workshops under new guidelines, he was worried this may just enshrine the poor wages already paid.

"By enshrining that they can earn $44 a week, they're saying that these people are incapable of earning more", he said.

Staff at some places, including the PRA, have the attitude that mentally disabled people are incapable of learning or doing work which is not mundane — such as packaging.

"It's blatant discrimination", Ryan concluded.

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