You voted NO to unacceptable workloads and low allowances at St Vincent’s Private Hospitals

1 November 2024

RATIOS. RETAIN. RECRUIT. ST VINCENT’S PRIVATE HOSPITALS EBA 2024.

CAMPAIGN UPDATE #5

You voted NO to unacceptable workloads and low allowances

Nurses and midwives have overwhelmingly rejected the St Vincent’s Private Hospitals proposed agreement, sending a strong message to your employer that it must address your understaffing and patient workload concerns and unfair allowances and entitlements.

Of the 1004 nurses and midwives who voted in St Vincent’s Private Hospitals’ EBA ballot, 86.5 per cent voted NO. The participation rate in the ballot was 88.6 per cent.

This sends a strong message to your employer that you will not be taken for granted and your important concerns must be addressed.

Thank you to our ANMF Job Reps and members who ensured nurses and midwives understood that while St Vincent’s Private Hospitals’ proposed offer ensured pay parity with the public sector for the next two years, it did not address the need for nurse/midwife patient ratios or include more than 40 improvements ANMF negotiated in the 2020 and 2024 public sector enterprise agreements.

ANMF has requested urgent discussions with St Vincent’s Private Hospitals to reach an agreement that values, recognises and rewards nurses’ and midwives’ important work.

We have a compulsory conference with St Vincent’s in the Fair Work Commission on Thursday 7 November.

Now vote YES to authorise the taking of protected industrial action from next Wednesday at 9am to Monday 11 November at 5pm

On Wednesday 30 October the Fair Work Commission granted ANMF’s application for a protected industrial action ballot order.

This important ballot of members will commence at 9am Wednesday 6 November and close at 5pm Monday 11 November.

ANMF will be recommending members VOTE yes in this ballot. It is important to remember that you will not be voting to take industrial action; you will be voting for your legal right to take protected industrial action at a future time.

The ANMF member ballot will be conducted by the Fair Work Commission approved independent ballot agent VERO Voting.

Read our VOTE Yes flier [PDF]

Members will be asked one question to authorise the 27 items of protected industrial action.

Read the list of proposed actions [PDF]

Download a VOTE Yes poster for your ward or unit [PDF]

A successful YES vote will send another strong message to St Vincent’s Private Hospitals’ management. It is important every member votes.

A successful ballot requires:

Fifty percent or more of eligible members on the ballot roll must vote
A majority of those members who vote, must vote YES.

If you do not receive a ballot link from Vero Voting, contact Suzi Gare as soon as possible via sgare@anmfvic.asn.au.

What does ‘protected’ mean when taking industrial action?

It means you can alter the way you do your work or refuse to do certain work without any fear of disciplinary action or dismissal – provided the action is authorised by the protected industrial action ballot and the appropriate notice has been given. To read more, visit ANMF’s St Vincent’s Private Hospitals EBA campaign page anmfvic.asn.au/stvsEBA24.

Will taking protected industrial action put patient safety at risk?

Public sector, Bolton Clarke and currently Churches of Christ are just some of the members who have taken legal protected industrial action this year to achieve improved wages and working conditions. ANMF members’ protected industrial action does not put patient health, safety or welfare at risk. Our action is designed to disrupt and inconvenience employers who are not listening to their nurses’ and midwives’ concerns – particularly around understaffing and patient workloads and patient safety.

Will I lose pay?

You probably will as it is unlawful for an employer to pay an employee for protected industrial action. However, this rarely happens for partial bans or wearing campaign T shirts. Pay docking will probably happen if we close beds, stop elective surgery or stop work for two or four hours at a time. St Vincent’s Private Hospital can only dock for the actual time taken in protected industrial action or (for partial bans) using a complicated formula and by giving notice to you of any proposed reduction in pay.

Can the ANMF help if I experience financial hardship as a result of pay docking?

Yes. The ANMF operates a member Hardship Fund for those involved in protected industrial action. It is not an income replacement fund, but it will provide significant support to members who face hardship as a result of the protected industrial action. In the recent Bolton Clarke dispute the Hardship Fund paid out almost $40,000 to over 300 members. Further information will be provided after the ballot.