DAY 103 OF PROTECTED INDUSTRIAL ACTION
On Tuesday 25 February St Vincent’s Private Hospitals members resolved to continue protected industrial action until ANMF officials and Job Reps were satisfied that the drafting of the staffing and workload clause was complete.
ANMF and St Vincent’s Private Hospitals management has now completed the drafting work.
The proposed additional staffing and workload clause was discussed at a Job Rep meeting this afternoon (Friday 28 February). It was agreed that the proposed enterprise agreement should now go to a ballot in accordance with the members’ meeting resolution from 25 February.
This means all protected industrial action must stop by the end of the PM shift on Friday 28 February.
All St Vincent’s Private Hospitals nurses and midwives covered by the proposed agreement are eligible to vote, not just ANMF members.
The seven-day ballot access period is likely to start on Tuesday 11 March and the voting period is likely to start on Tuesday 18 March.
The proposal’s key outcomes were outlined in EBA update #25 . In addition, the proposed agreement will contain new criteria for EN Advanced (Level 3) and RUSON/RUSOM classification descriptors and rates.
ANMF will issue a further campaign update summarising the major improvements and changes, and the ballot dates, as soon as these are confirmed next week.
Again, thank you to all members and our amazing Job Reps for your dedication throughout the campaign.
While we didn’t achieve all we would have liked, since we rejected the first EBA in October last year, we have made considerable progress in winning additional conditions. These include:
- the extra week of annual leave for part-time shift workers
- 5 days compassionate leave
- 5 uncertificated personal leave days
- recognition of unpaid parental leave for the accrual of long service leave.
Most importantly, we achieved recognition of the pressing need for additional staffing in the agreement (31 additional shifts to improve night and PM in-charge without a patient load) and a working Nursing and Midwifery Consultative Committee with issues to review and resources to distribute.
Without the campaign none of these improvements would have been achieved.
All nurses and midwives will now have an opportunity to vote on whether to accept this package for two years, until we start to bargain again in early 2027.
GOT A CAMPAIGN ISSUE OR INQUIRY
If you need to get in touch with your ANMF Organiser Mitch Hoover (all St Vincent’s Private sites) please contact him via records@anmfvic.asn.au stating your name and hospital.
For urgent matters, call Mitch Hoover – see the emailed version of this campaign update.
