Speaking a language other than English in the tearoom is no longer a punishable offence at Estia Health.

Workers at Estia Health nursing homes are now permitted to speak languages other than English in the staff tearoom thanks to NSWNMA.

NSWNMA members at Estia initiated a successful multi-union national campaign to change the company’s code of conduct which said: English is to be spoken amongst our employees and other workers in our homes, including in staff rooms.

The issue came to a head in September 2024, after the Association assisted a member who received an Estia disciplinary letter.

The letter alleged the member had “spoken Nepalese in front of other staff members” and may have breached the company’s code of conduct by “failing to create an inclusive work environment by speaking a language other
than English”.

Estia withdrew the letter after the union intervened, but the member resigned from Estia as a result of the bad experience.

The NSWNMA conducted a survey of Estia workers in NSW which showed more than 70 percent who answered the survey wanted the code of conduct changed “to reflect their right to speak their preferred language during their breaks, which are their own unpaid time”.