The government is staring down a key health union after its national boss said workers in the "crumbling" aged care sector would be better off working at KFC.
Health Services Union national president Gerard Hayes said aged care workers couldn't wait two years for their 15 per cent wage rise, with inflation swallowing up any chance of them seeing any bottom-line improvements.
But Health Minister Mark Butler said he was confident the government had struck the right balance, with a 10 per cent increase coming on July 1 after a five per cent rise last year.
