Members have been alerted to news that Healthscope Receivers have decided to sell Holmesglen Hospital. It is understood that the transition to new ownership will take several months to complete.
Healthscope management has not provided any update on how this news affects enterprise agreement negotiations for staff employed at Holmesglen and Healthscope has not communicated directly with ANMF about the sale. Disappointingly, Healthscope have still not agreed to a meeting to continue enterprise agreement negotiations.
ANMF remains committed to negotiating in good faith with Healthscope for an agreement that recognises the work of Healthscope nurses and midwives, including those employed at Holmesglen. ANMF’s bargaining dispute has been listed for further conference before the Fair Work Commission on 17 December 2025.
Theatre stop-work 11am Wednesday 10 December
Protected industrial action in the form of a four-hour stop work of members working in theatres is planned for 11am-3pm this Wednesday.
ANMF members working in theatres across Healthscope (including Holmesglen) may participate in the stop work action from 11am-3pm that day. Sufficient staff for emergency procedures should remain at work. Please speak with your ANMF Job Rep before Wednesday to discuss appropriate staffing arrangements. Please refer to the ANMF update of 4 December for further information.
ANMF staff will be onsite to support members. A members’ meeting and morning tea will also take place at each site during the stop work.
We encourage members who are not participating in the stop-work to exercise their entitlement to take protected industrial action in the form of communicating with media and/or social media in support of their theatre colleagues. And if you are on a day off- come and support your theatre colleagues who are taking action.
Healthscope have communicated their concerns about the action to ANMF and ANMF has responded today.
Further action
ANMF is continuing to try and meet with Healthscope to progress enterprise agreement negotiations. Healthscope have not yet agreed to meet.
ANMF has also now notified the commencement of the following industrial action to commence on 15 December 2025 on an ongoing basis:
- refusal to undertake receptionist/administrative duties and/or food services related duties such as the delivery of meals, snacks and/or beverages to patients; and
- a ban by any Nurse or Midwife in Charge of a ward or unit on taking a patient load (whether they are the Nurses/Midwife Unit Manager or a nurse or midwife in charge in the out of hours of the NUM or MUM)
Members may commence the taking of either of these actions (in conjunction with, or separately to, the previously notified action) from 7am on Monday 15 December 2025.
Stop work Monday 15 December
ANMF has also notified a further four-hour work stoppage on Monday 15 December 2025 from 12:30pm. This stop-work will be for up to four hours in duration and open to all members to participate in. If you are working the AM shift this will mean you may stop work between 12:30pm and the end of your shift and if you’re working the PM shift, you may commence work at 4:30pm.
Note that on wards night staffing levels should be maintained during the period of the action and in theatres, sufficient staff should remain for emergency cases that may arise during the period of the action.
Bed closures
ANMF has also notified Healthscope of bed closures the week of 15 December 2025. This action has been notified to commence on the morning shift on 15 December and conclude at the end of the PM shift on 19 December. ANMF will be liaising with your Job Representatives in relation to the operationalisation of this action. Note exemptions to this action are cardiac, neurosurgery, oncology, maternity/obstetrics, paediatric, neonatal and palliative care patients, or emergency patients where their condition is expected to deteriorate within 48 hours. ANMF will provide further and specific advice to members in relation to this protected action soon.
A members’ meeting has been scheduled for 4:30pm Thursday 11 December 2025. Please join this critical meeting.
