Enrolled nurse Antoinette Pitt took on the role of ANMF Job Rep at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood in 2021, when the previous Job Rep retired.
She did so to ensure that the service and its employees didn’t lose their close link to the ANMF organiser.
‘I feel issues are best to address when they are small, not allowed to grow and fester,’ Antoinette says. ‘Having a close relationship with the ANMF means small things get addressed before they become a problem. It also empowers staff to speak up, knowing someone will listen and direct it down the proper channels.’
She also saw it as a valuable opportunity to learn more about the union, the EBA and the processes involved in improving employees’ pay and conditions.
In her day-to-day role as a Job Rep, Antionette primarily gets the occasional question from her colleagues about whether a payslip is correct or changes to procedure. Importantly, she knows she isn’t expected to deal with this by herself.
We still need to be diligent in being members in our union to retain rights that were fought for and not freely given.
‘The union offer support on every occasion,’ she says. ‘I don’t need to know my EBA backwards. Like all things in nursing, you just need to know the information exists and where to find it. Our organiser is always there to answer questions, point us in the right direction or offer support to ensure procedure is followed and obtain positive outcomes.’
For Antionette, the best thing about being a Job Rep is being able to help her colleagues feel supported in the workplace and knowing ‘that there is someone there looking out for us as people, without worrying about the bottom line.’
She has also really enjoyed the Job Rep training sessions run by ANMF (Vic Branch), which she says have given her a new appreciation of ‘what nurses have achieved through banding together’ and that ‘we still need to be diligent in being members in our union to retain rights that were fought for and not freely given.’
