We will be lodging an application with the AIRC next week for a secret ballot to be conducted by the AEC re protected industrial action at Dorevitch Pathology and GPS.

The question to be put to members in the ballot will be in the following (or similar) form:

In support of reaching a union collective agreement with Symbion Health (trading as Dorevitch Pathology and/or Gippsland Pathology), do you support the taking of protected industrial action against Symbion Health which may involve one or more of the following:

Meeting of members Tuesday 9 December 2008

A meeting of members and job representatives will be held at the MSAV offices on Tuesday 9 December 2008 at 6.00 pm to discuss refining the ballot questions and the types of industrial action to be included.

Members who want to give us feedback on the proposed industrial action can contact Peter Gioulekas at our offices at \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or talk to their job representative.

Or look for the Symbion “hot  button “ on the right hand side of the webpage MSAV + VPA + AHP - Home and leave your comment or suggestion.

Who can vote in the ballot?

Only Union members can vote in relation to the taking of industrial action.

Who can take industrial action?

Only Union members can take protected industrial action. Now is the time for remaining non-members to join the union in order to be able to take part in the industrial action and the associated campaign.

How does the voting work?

The Union has to provide an electronic roll of members’ names and addresses in a confidential file to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), which will conduct the ballot.

The AEC also receives an electronic file from the employer with the names and addresses of all employees who are employed in the relevant classifications.

The voting is by secret postal ballot.

It is really important to make sure that both the Union and the Dorevitch/GPS have your correct postal address. If you have recently moved and/or changed your postal address please contact us to make sure we have your current address. Please also check with payroll that the information held by the company is accurate.

Please note that no member information is able to be accessed by the employer.

When will the ballot take place?

We are expecting that the ballot will take place in January 2009.  You will be advised of the closing date for the ballot when the ballot papers are posted to you.

When will the industrial action take place?

Once the ballot has been declared we will be having further discussions and consultation with members regarding the timing, type and location of industrial action.

Are the other Unions involved?

Yes, the HSU Victoria No 1 Branch and the ANF will be applying for protected industrial action ballot orders at the same time as we are, and the three Unions will be taking coordinated industrial action. Now is a good time to talk to your colleagues about what would be the most effective action to take.

Note that we are prepared to talk to Symbion if Symbion is prepared to enter into bargaining with us in good faith.