Congratulations to members on your huge efforts over the last 15 days of protected industrial action. It has been impressive to see, especially for a group that hasn’t been in this position before. Keep up the great work!
As always, please contact the ANMF if you have any concerns or questions regarding the actions. It is much better for the ANMF to attempt to work these issues out with Healthscope management rather than arguments occurring at the local level.
Work stoppage on Thursday 20 November
At the ANMF members meeting on Wednesday, members passed a resolution to notify Healthscope of a four-hour work stoppage, to take place on Thursday 20 November.
The ANMF will provide more detail in the lead up to this action, however please note the following key points:
- It will be a stoppage of work, from 12.45-4.15pm, which is designed to cover the last approx. two hours of the AM shift and the first approx. two hours of the PM shift.
- A rally will be held at Melbourne Private Hospital , with travel to and from your workplace provided by the ANMF.
- There will also be a rally out the front of Geelong Clinic.
- Members who are not rostered to work that day are still able to participate in the rally and are encouraged to do so.
- Both rallies will start at 2pm.
This is a significant step which would not have been necessary if Healthscope had been more responsive to members needs in these negotiations.
We understand members will have practical questions regarding the planned action and we will provide separate communication addressing these. If you have any questions you wish to see clarified, please email them to records@anmfvic.asn.au, quoting case ID 1083422 in the subject line. Please do this at your earliest convenience.
In the meantime, we note the following:
- Members who stop work will not be paid for the duration of any stoppage – e.g. if you start two hours late, you won’t be paid for those two hours. Please see below for information regarding the ANMF’s hardship fund.
- Wards will need to maintain night duty staffing levels during the period of this action and theatres will need to maintain enough staff for emergency procedures to proceed.
Information, including registration for bus transport, to the ANMF rally will be provided to members shortly.
STOP WORK ACTION
The following is a reminder of the wording of the action which is item 24 on the protected industrial action ballot order:
Single and/or consecutive work stoppages of up to four (4) hours duration including such stoppages to travel for and to attend stop-work meetings (including those organised by the ANMF).
BARGAINING UPDATE
Since our previous update, the parties have been working on drafting the draft enterprise agreement. As part of this, we have reached acceptable positions on the following items:
- Workload committee, with the requirement to include ANMF job representatives and staff.
- Redeployment, with Healthscope needing to satisfy certain criteria before being able to direct someone to be redeployed
This leaves the following outstanding items:
Wages – under the current offer, Healthscope rates would not reach pay parity with the public sector until July 2027, and this would only be for five months, until the significant public sector increase in November of that year. Until then, wages across most classifications will remain between 3.5 – 2.5% behind the public sector rate.
Nominal expiry date – Healthscope is proposing an expiry date of 31 March 2028, which will ensure that wage rates stay well behind market rates from late 2027 onwards.
Salary Packaging – Healthscope continues to insist that any new enterprise agreement must contain their salary packaging clause.
Staffing – Healthscope continues to reject our claims for the nurse in charge of the following areas to be without a patient load on night duty: rehabilitation, oncology, cardiac and mental health.
As instructed by ANMF members yesterday, a further reasonable proposal to settle the enterprise agreement claims was made to Healthscope. This proposal would have achieved public sector wage parity for most classifications by July 2026 (as opposed to July 2027), brought the nominal expiry date of the agreement forward and achieved staffing improvements in key clinical areas.
This proposal has been rejected by Healthscope today.
CAN THE ANMF HELP IF I EXPERIENCE FINANCIAL HARDSHIP AS A RESULT OF PAY DOCKING?
Yes. The ANMF operates a member Hardship Fund for those involved in protected industrial action. Importantly, this is not an income replacement fund, it may provide some support to members who face significant hardship as a result of the protected industrial action where eligible. Members who are experiencing demonstrated financial hardship and have evidence of pay docking can apply at anmfvic.asn.au/healthscopehardship.
THREATS OR HARRASSMENT
It is your right under the Fair Work Act to take the forms of protected industrial including work stoppages. ‘Protected’ means you cannot be dismissed or disciplined for taking these actions.
ANMF will support members who are threatened, intimidated or harassed. To report any threats, intimidation or harassment, including those relating to pay docking, go to anmfvic.asn.au/healthscopereport.
GOT A CAMPAIGN QUESTION?
If you have any questions, please contact your local Job Representative or the ANMF Industrial Relations Organiser responsible for your site (see below) via records@anmfvic.asn.au. Please quote case ID 1083422 in the subject line.
Dorset Rehabilitation Centre – Camilla Ablitt-Collins
Geelong Clinic – Christian Sanderson
Holmesglen Private Hospital – Stephanie Bligh
John Fawkner Hospital – Lachlan Schacht
Knox Private Hospital – Linda Elliott
La Trobe Private Hospital – Julie Wearing-Smith
Melbourne Private Hospital – Jodi Dowler (relieving for Lyndal Alston)
Northpark Private Hospital – Julie Wearing-Smith
Ringwood Private Hospital – Linda Elliott
The Melbourne Clinic Private Hospital – Linda Elliott
Victoria Clinic Private Hospital – Narelle Hayes
Victorian Rehabilitation Centre – Jenna Bell
