St John of God ANMF (Vic Branch) Job Reps Jeamy Lee and Sandra Lawrie. Photo: Melanie Sheridan
Job Reps are the critical link between ANMF officials and nurses, midwives and carers in the workplace. They organise and empower members in the workplace to know their workplace rights. One example of this is through enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) campaigns and participation in negotiations while fostering a respectful workplace and guiding members towards advice and representation.
With this in mind, ANMF (Vic Branch) Industrial Officers Monique Segan and Cate Larkins recently ran a session for private acute Job Reps focused on enforcing EBAs. The session covered the basics of EBAs – that it is a legally enforceable document that exists alongside legislation such as the Fair Work Act.
‘It felt like the beginning of a monumental shift within the private sector.’ – St John of God (Ballarat) Job Rep Sandra Lawrie
Attendees discussed must-know clauses for Job Reps, including the consultation, dispute resolution and delegates rights clauses, the rights and provisions in these clauses and how to escalate to ANMF if these clauses appear to be breached.
The session also covered common pitfalls faced by Job Reps, like not enforcing employee rights and entitlements in EBAs and not taking opportunities to build knowledge with other Job Reps and members.
Feedback from attendees
St John of God (Geelong) Job Rep Jeamy Lee said the session ‘provided a stronger foundation for implementing the provisions in our EAs. It was also a great opportunity to expand our network with Job Reps from other private acute hospitals. We were able to compare notes and share strategies for addressing workplace issues – what worked well and what didn’t, which will be helpful for our next EBA negotiations.’
Sandra Lawrie from St John of God (Ballarat) also attended the meeting and said ‘the information provided at the session will be a great addition to add to our Job Rep repertoire. It felt like the beginning of a monumental shift within the private sector. Connecting with other Job Reps from different facilities showed that we have much in common. There was a great feeling of solidary and a lot of energy for our next EBA.’
