Job reps & members met at Trades Hall last night to discuss the resolution of BCOM of 21 February 2008 for further industrial action if no acceptable offer was made by the Government in relation to wages and conditions in the public sector.

The AIRC Conference on Monday 25 February 2008 did not result in any progress on the threshold issues of wage increases and the date of operation of the next wage increases. 

As a result, robust discussion and debate was held about the recommendation to endorse a 48 hour strike.  It was felt that the onus should be on the hospitals to take measures to ensure that surgery and clinics were cancelled.  It is on this basis that members have decided to recommend the following:

All members of the HSU#4* employed at Austin Health, Bayside Health, Bendigo Health,  Eastern Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Melbourne Health, St Vincent’s Health and Southern Health,   will cease work between 00.01 hours on Thursday 6 March 2008 to 23.59 hours on Friday 7 March 2008, in support of an acceptable settlement of the HSU#4 2007 EBA claims. No services will be provided during this 48 hour period.

*HSU#4  includes members of MSAV, VPA and AHP includes medical scientists, dietitians, audiologists, clinical perfusionists, medical physicists, psychologists and pharmacists

There was discussion of a VHIA circular to hospitals which breaches agreements in the Commission on disclosure of proceedings. This circular discloses the fact that the Union has raised in discussions not only the need for parity in terms of % pay increase but the loss of relativities with nurses, relativities which were  arbitrated in the 1990’s.

We still don’t have an offer/ bargaining position that is equivalent to Division 1 Registered Nurses’ on percentage. The government has no plan to address interstate rates and we have LOST relativities with 3 year degree qualified nurses over the period since the 2000 EBA.

This loss of relativities at the base level has occurred mainly because base level RNs having 3 additional increments added to their salary scale over the period, while Grade 1 scientists received one additional increment (to Year 7). Over the period 2000-2007 base level RNs received pay increases totaling 36% whilst our base level classifications received increases totaling 27.56%.

A spreadsheet showing the relativities is available to registered members here [login first].

If the government only offers 3.25% pa with an operative date of 1 March 2008, a Grade 1 Year 7 scientist will lose $11,344.37 over the life of the agreement, compared with the cost of losing a day’s pay due to industrial action of $214.68 (less tax). (The calculations are available on the member-only pages of the website. [login first])

To help with the media profile keep ringing talkback radio & writing to newspapers. The Sunrise program has raised the issue of health services – go to Yahoo!7 Sunrise - Soapbox and Email your thoughts re the dispute, rates of pay & the governments failure to settle with us. Let’s flood them with Emails. An up-to-date letter to the Health Minister written by two members is also available as a reference [login first]. 

An application for a Ballot seeking approval for Industrial Action by members at RCH and Peter Mac has been granted by the AIRC. The ballot will not be complete until 19 March 2008. As such members at these sites can only participate in industrial action after a positive outcome is received – SEND A MESSAGE TO THE GOVERNMEMNT BY TICKING YES ON THE BALLOT FORM. There will members meetings before any decision is made to take industrial action at these sites.