Campaign update 6: statewide members meeting endorses EBA negotiation progress

2020 public sector EBA campaign update 6

More than 200 public sector members attended a statewide members meeting on 3 March to hear a progress report on their enterprise bargaining negotiations.

There have been 15 full-day negotiation meetings between ANMF (Vic Branch), the Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association (VHIA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) since early October 2019.

The current 2016 Victorian public sector nurses and midwives enterprise agreement will expire on 31 March 2020.

ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick confirmed the Side Deeds approved by public sector members at the end of the 2016 EBA negotiations. These Deeds provide for the wage rises in the 2020 EBA and the nurse and midwife unit manager restructure which took place in 2019.

These wage rises continue to ensure public sector nurses and midwives net pay parity with their NSW colleagues. The increases, from the first full pay period on after the date below, are:

• 1 December 2020 by 3%
• 1 December 2021 by a further 3%
• 1 December 2022 by a further 3%.

The 2020 EBA will expire on 30 April 2024. The next pay rise in the subsequent agreement is expected in the first full pay period on or after 1 May 2024.

In his update, ANMF (Vic Branch) Assistant Secretary Paul Gilbert noted ANMF had proposed a comprehensive suite of amendments to the current agreement totalling approximately 275 claims. The employer representatives have made 24 claims. Progress has been made but a significant number of claims remain unresolved.

ANMF’s claims can be grouped in broad themes

• Theme A – updating language
  Includes including midwives in the agreement where appropriate; updating definitions; and defining a ward/unit and a campus.
• Theme B – Classifications, Advanced Practice, NUMs, NM5 and above
  ANMF is claiming the Statewide Classification Committee should be the one-stop shop to resolve classification disputes. Claims also include seeking a senior midwifery classification apply to all health services offering maternity services and where the director of nursing is also not a midwife. Other claims are a revised community health structure; clinical nurse specialist and midwife specialist portability; and letters of appointment.
• Theme C – Leave
  Includes a claim for superannuation to be paid on parental leave; clarity on the sixth week of annual leave entitlements; clarifying complex long service leave entitlements; special carers leave for those with primary carer responsibility for elderly parents; and portability of leave between the public sector and local government. Other claims include clarifying Defence Force, disaster and emergency leave entitlements.
• Theme D – Wages and allowances
  Includes claims for superannuation payments while on WorkCover, enrolled nurse higher duties and a lead apron allowance.
• Theme E – Predictable hours of work, fatigue, overtime
  Includes claims for rosters to include on-call arrangements; rosters to be posted 28 days in advance; 14 days’ notice of a change of roster; increased change of roster allowance; clothing break change for those unable to wear their work clothing to work, such as theatre nurses; travel and recall allowance both ways; clarifying when recall commences; and a higher rate for overtime on a public holiday.
• Theme F – Dispute resolution
  Includes claims to improve consultation processes and the disciplinary process and clarify ‘relocation’.
• Theme G – Recruitment, retention and related claims
  Includes claims for special rates for Saturday and Sunday to cover the whole day; increased weekend public holiday entitlements; increased weekday public holiday rate; a casual overtime rate on a public holiday; night shift weekend rates to be paid for the entire shift on Friday and Sunday; and an increase in the night shift allowance.
• Theme H – Education and professional development
  Includes claims to broaden study leave to any nursing and midwifery study, e.g. a registered nurse undertaking a midwifery postgraduate qualification. Currently this leave can only be used to study a qualification that can be used in your currently position. This would assist building the workforce in specialty areas.
• Theme I – Maximising permanent employment
• Theme J – Occupational health and safety
  Includes claims that the employer must provide an employee involved in a violent or aggressive incident with a WorkCover claim form and reporting serious OVA incidents to the health service’s working group.
• Theme K – Safe Patient Care Act/ Registered Undergraduate Students of Nursing (RUSONs)/ Registered Undergraduate Students of Midwifery (RUSOMs)/aged care
  Claims include the ability to pay Bachelor of Midwifery students participating in an employment model.

To read all of the ANMF’s claims download the claim document via anmfvic.asn.au/2020claim

Resolution

ANMF members passed a resolution at the meeting noting the progress made and recognising the number of outstanding claims yet to be resolved. Members directed the ANMF to hold a further update meeting when ANMF can provide an update on the outcome of all their claims.

Next steps

Negotiations, between ANMF (Vic Branch), VHIA and DHHS, will continue on Wednesday 4 March with the assistance of former Fair Work Commission Deputy President Greg Smith.

Member updates

ANMF will continue to contact members via email and text message. If you are not receiving our communications you may have previously unsubscribed. Re-subscibe via anmfvic.asn.au/resubscribe