Campaign update: St Vincent’s Private Hospitals’ EBA ballot to open 24 October – vote NO

15 October 2024

RATIOS. RETAIN. RECRUIT. ST VINCENT’S PRIVATE HOSPITALS EBA 2024.

CAMPAIGN UPDATE #2

ANMF recommends you vote NO

The St Vincent’s Health Australia electronic ballot of the proposed enterprise agreement will open on 24 October 2024.

The ballot is of all nurses and midwives – not just ANMF members – employed at St Vincent’s Private Hospitals’ four Victorian facilities.

To give ANMF an opportunity to secure a better agreement and show St Vincent’s that you care about safe staffing and your working conditions, ANMF is recommending members vote NO.

The proposed agreement:

does not address members’ concerns about workloads and implementation of transparent staffing levels or nurse/midwife patient ratios
does not include more than 40 improvements made in the Victorian public sector nurses and midwives EBAs in 2020 and 2024 such as higher night shift, on call and change of roster allowances; access to the sixth week of annual leave for part-time nurses and midwives; recognition of unpaid parental leave for the purposes of long service leave; increased number of personal leave days that don’t require evidence and much more.

Read more reasons to vote no via the St Vincent’s Private Hospitals EBA 2024 campaign page.

To stop this agreement and put St Vincent’s Private on notice, more than 50 per cent of those nurses and midwives who vote must vote NO.

EBA ballot timetable

The key ballot dates are:

Wednesday 16 October – seven-day access period opens. Your employer will provide access to a copy of the proposed enterprise agreement and a document summarising the key changes.

Thursday 24 October, 9am – electronic ballot opens

Thursday 31 October, 4pm – electronic ballot closes

Vote no information materials

Please note the ANMF Vote NO flier distributed at some facilities on Friday 11 October included some errors in the allowance table. These fliers have been corrected and will be distributed this week.

If members vote no, what happens next?

You will be sending St Vincent’s Health Australia a strong message that you will not accept unfair allowances, entitlements and staffing/workloads. Your employer will be under pressure to return to the negotiating table with ANMF (Vic Branch) so talks can continue for an agreement that values, recognises and rewards your important work. Members will then have an opportunity to decide if they want to take protected industrial action to pursue their claims for improved allowances, conditions and ratios.

If members vote yes, you will end up with the proposed agreement for the next two years.

Update your details reminder

To be eligible to vote in a protected industrial action ballot in the future, ANMF members’ details must be up to date and match with their details on the employer-provided list. Members need to check their surname, first name, middle name, date of birth, work and private email, mobile and postal address.

Members whose workplace and contact details don’t match won’t be eligible to vote, which may limit everyone’s ability to participate in a campaign.

During October members who check and/or update their details have the chance to win a $1000 cash Visa card; a three- or four-night stay at ANMF House (Melbourne), Ocean Grove Chalet or ViewHill Holiday Units Bright; or a $300 Coles Myer gift voucher.

To update your details, visit the member portal via https://members.anmfvic.asn.au.

Members meetings and workplace visits reminder

St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Fitzroy – members meeting – 2.30pm Friday 18 October, Level 5 West (old) Tower) – near the North Bank lifts and via MS Teams (Organiser Mitch Hoover)

St Vincent’s Private Hospital, East Melbourne – members meeting – 2.30pm Monday 21 October, East Melbourne Boardroom and Via MS Teams (Organiser Mitch Hoover)

St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Kew – members meeting/workplace visit 12noon Tuesday 22 October, venue to be confirmed and via MS Teams (Organiser Narelle Hayes)

St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Werribee – members meeting – 12.30pm Wednesday 23 October, Theatre meeting room (Organiser Te Arahi Samakowidic)

Individual members meeting notices and text messages will be sent to members.

Does your ward or unit have at least two Job Reps?

Having at least two Job Reps in your ward or unit is key to a successful campaign. Job Reps are an important communication link between ANMF and its members in the workplace. During a campaign, Job Reps work with their Organiser to help distribute information, promote members meetings and encourage participation.

Members can find their Job Reps on their ANMF (Vic Branch) member portal page via https://members.anmfvic.asn.au. If you don’t have at least two, consider nominating yourself.

To find out more about the Job Rep role and how to nominate visit https://anmfvic.asn.au/jobrep.