ANMF (Vic Branch) has continued bargaining for a new Opal EBA following the expiry of the current agreement on 30 June as well as the BlueCross Residential and HomeCare, ANMF and HWU Enterprise Agreement that currently sets the minimum terms and conditions of employment for staff that transferred from BlueCross to Opal in 2024.
Opal, which is jointly owned by private equity and a Singaporean investment company, is the largest private aged care provider in Australia and has 57 facilities in Victoria following acquisition of BlueCross, Australian Aged Care Group and Javadale. Pay and conditions for nurses and personal care workers are lagging behind other aged care providers with inadequate staffing, heavy workloads and poor staff replacement also a continuing concern.
ANMF has been campaigning to preserve the BlueCross conditions, which include better rates of pay for many nurses and carers and improvements to entitlements such as long service leave. Opal has so far refused stating that they will be basing the agreement on the Opal agreement. Opal is also yet to provide a wages offer for the proposed agreement.
ANMF’s log of claims includes:
- Time to care – minimum safe staffing to deliver quality care
- Pay the same as colleagues at other private aged care facilities
- Access to long service leave on completion of seven years’ service
- Paid parental leave – 14 weeks for primary carers and 4 weeks for secondary carers
ANMF (Vic Branch) will hold in-person members’ meetings across Opal’s 57 facilities in the coming weeks to determine next steps. Opal members – check your inbox for details!
It has also never been more important time to consider becoming a Job Rep. If you work at Opal and want to get more involved in the campaign, help your colleagues, and make sure we get the best possible outcome in bargaining, then consider becoming an ANMF Job Rep today. Find out more information.
