Understanding your graduate pay and conditions

23 November 2020

If you’ve been offered a graduate place, it’s important you have a basic understanding of your graduate pay and working conditions.

These are outlined in your workplace enterprise bargaining agreement (also called enterprise agreement or EBA), which is the most important document affecting your working life.

As an ANMF member, we negotiate with your employer on your behalf the terms and conditions of these EBAs, covering everything from wages and classifications, to allowances, leave, breaks, professional development and discipline procedures.

The lifetime of an agreement is usually four years, but it will still apply when it expires, until a new agreement is finalised. ANMF is currently finalising negotiations with the Andrews Government for the 2020-2024 public sector agreement.

You can download your new workplace’s EBA from the Member Portal.

Letter of appointment

Your employer will send you a letter of appointment when you are offered a graduate position. Do not throw this letter away, keep it in a safe place!

The wording of this letter is also outlined in your EBA (usually found in the appendix). For instance, the public sector EBAs stipulate it must contain:

Name of employer
Your classification (see below)
The workplace/campus/location where you are to be situated
The name of your enterprise agreement
Your mode of employment i.e. whether full-time, part-time, casual or nurse bank employee.
Fortnightly hours will be [insert] and for part timers (by mutual agreement) additional shifts may be added. Shifts will be worked in accordance with roster. Payment of additional shifts will not be at casual rates. If you agree to work regular additional shifts your letter of appointment will be varied accordingly.
Specified employment is ongoing unless a valid fixed term appointment is proposed.
Date of commencement
Acknowledgement (where applicable) of prior service/entitlements to sick leave, long service, etc
Other information as required depending on the nature of the position
Relevant qualifications and allowances payable

It’s important you read and understand it. If there are any corrections required, contact the HR department.

Pay classification

Under your applicable EBA you’ll likely be classified at:

RN/M1 (public)
RPN 2 Year 1 (public mental health)
Grade 2 Year 1 (private acute)

If you are employed as an enrolled nurse immediately before starting your graduate year, you may be entitled to a different pay rate.

Wage increases

In addition to your annual pay increments, you are entitled to annual pay increases during the life of the agreement. For instance, the 2016-20 Victorian public sector nurses and midwives’ agreement, will have another pay increase from 1 December 2020. The April wage increases provided net pay parity with NSW public sector nurses and midwives.