Public sector mental health nursing members taking protected industrial action in 2025.
St Vincent’s Private Hospitals
After 100 days of protected industrial action, ANMF members at St Vincent’s Private Hospitals voted to support their employer’s revised offer being put to a ballot of all nursing and midwifery employees covered by the agreement, not just ANMF members.
While ANMF officers, Job Reps and members all agreed that the offer did not achieve all members’ EBA claims, it made significant progress from the first offer tabled last year.
Importantly, it includes a proposed staffing clause that prescribes additional PM and night staffing resources with the aim of making ANUMs/AMUMs in priority areas supernumerary. It also establishes a Nursing and Midwifery Consultative Committee, with equal representation from employees and employer, to review additional staffing needs in eight priority areas with a guaranteed minimum 12 shifts to be allocated by the committee.
There is also a commitment to roster sufficient staff in for meal breaks and not divert those staff to cover unplanned absences.
At a members’ meeting on Tuesday 25 February, members passed a resolution that:
- acknowledged the positive progress in gaining modest additional resources which will be incorporated into the agreement as well as an on-going consultative mechanism that will review staffing
- expressed disappointment that key staffing and workload management issues have not been resolved in full and that these fundamental issues remained a work in progress
- acknowledged that further bargaining and protected industrial action would not fundamentally change the offer
- noted staffing issues, along with the 2027/28 public sector parity, would be central to the next EBA negotiations in early 2027.
St Vincent’s Private Hospitals’ members have been trailblazers taking unprecedented protected industrial action in the private acute sector.
ANMF acknowledges and thanks our dedicated Job Reps and members who have courageously participated in this campaign to improve wages, staffing levels and working conditions for all employees.
Public sector mental health
Public sector mental health nurse members are continuing with their stage 1 protected industrial action. Among others, these actions include:
- wearing campaign t-shirts
- speaking with patients/consumers, visitors and the media about the campaign
- taking the full period of breaks
- not working overtime
- a refusal to be redeployed
- various admin bans.
The admin bans in particular seem to be having a strong effect.
Members are resolute and resilient, and committed to continuing with their action as long as it is necessary.
ANMF (Vic Branch) is continuing discussion via weekly bargaining meetings with the Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association.
Epworth
The Epworth EBA expired on 28 February. After several months of bargaining meetings with ANMF, Epworth issued a staff bulletin in mid-February where they made an offer including wage rates that would see Epworth members paid marginally above public sector rates at July 2027 when the Agreement would end. On call and qualifications allowances have been boosted significantly and other improvements to conditions have been offered.
The offer did not address some non-cost items, such as a consultative committee, and importantly members’ staffing and redeployment claims.
ANMF and delegates continue bargaining with Epworth on these matters.
