Negotiating for the replacement public mental health nurses EBA is in full swing, with ANMF (Vic Branch) elected officials and the mental health nursing officer and industrial officer attending weekly meetings with the Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association (VHIA) – the bargaining representative for employers.
The ANMF members’ log of claims for the Victorian Mental Health Services 2025–2028 enterprise agreement features more than 70 items and aims to maintain parity with general public sector nurses, with respect to the improvements achieved during their recent EBA campaign – inclusive of their wages outcome.
Among the claims specific to the mental health sector are:
- Transitioning to a minimum number of nurses working in a community mental health team and a minimum allocation of a senior nurse (RPN 4) in each team.
- Reintroduction of standalone community assessment and treatment teams (CATT) for all mental health services.
- A provision that clearly sets out the minimum staffing profiles for all bed-based services, including Hospital in the Home.
- Improved position descriptors and/or improved classification structures for positions including Nurse Unit Managers, Directors of Nursing, Research Nurse, Senior Mental Health Nurse, and Nurse Practitioners.
- Expansion of graduate nurse support at each service seven days a week for all acute inpatient units.
Members can read the complete log of claims via anmfvic.asn.au/mhclaim.
In addition to ANMF (Vic Branch) and VHIA, other parties involved in bargaining include the Department of Health, and the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU). The Branch is also meeting separately with HACSU on our shared claims, in addition to the weekly meetings with VHIA. All bargaining meetings are progressing well at this stage.
On the road: ANMF is coming to you
The Branch has scheduled multiple visits to mental health services through October and November, with the aim of updating members on the EBA and progress of negotiations, and to answer your questions.
Come chat with us at:
| Workplace | Date |
| St Vincent’s Mental Health – Adult Mental Health | Wednesday 2 October |
| Bendigo Health – Mental Health – Acute Campus | Tuesday 8 October |
| Alfred Mental Health – Alfred Psychiatry Dept | Monday 14 October |
| Ballarat Health – Adult Mental Health/ Aged Mental Health/ Mother and Family Unit | Thursday 17 October |
| Monash Mental Health – Monash Medical Clayton/ Monash Children’s Hospital | Friday 18 October |
| RMH Mental Health – Inner West – Royal Melbourne | Monday 21 October |
| Sunshine Hospital Mental Health | Tuesday 22 October |
| Latrobe Regional Hospital – Mental Health Services | Wednesday 23 October |
| Werribee Mental Health Psychiatric Unit | Thursday 24 October |
| Eastern Health – Adult Mental Health (Community) | Monday 28 October |
| Austin Health – Mental Health Service | Wednesday 30 October |
| Northern Mental Health – Northern Hospital | Wednesday 30 October |
| Monash Mental Health – Dandenong Area Inpatient Unit | Thursday 31 October |
| Peninsula Mental Health – Inpatient Unit | Thursday 7 November |
| Barwon Health – Mental Health – Swanston Centre | Friday 8 November |
Update your details for your chance to win $1000
Should we need to take further steps during negotiations, it is critically important that you make sure ANMF has your correct details. If there have been any changes, please update your contact details on the member portal.
Please check and update if required your:
- workplace and second or additional workplace if you have one
- family name, given name, middle name
- date of birth
- work and private email address
- mobile and postal address
The reason we ask for this is that if you and your colleagues determine it necessary to vote to take protected industrial action as part of your enterprise bargaining campaign, your ANMF member details will need to match the details held by your employer in order for you to get a vote.
Members who update their details by 11.59pm Thursday 31 October 2024 will go in the draw to win a $1000 cash Visa card or a three- or four-night stay at ANMF House (Melbourne), Ocean Grove Chalet or View Hill Holiday Units Bright.
Our more than 3000 mental health nurse members are being emailed EBA bargaining updates. If you work in the mental health sector and did not receive campaign update 1, you may have unsubscribed from our publication communications at some stage. You will need to fill in our resubscribe form to make sure you are kept up to date with all the important news and developments.
