NEW AGREEMENT FOR PUBLIC SECTOR NURSES REACHED

The ACT Minister for Health, Ms. Katy Gallagher MLA, today announced that agreement ‘in principle’ had been reached between ACT Health and the Australian Nursing Federation on a new Union Collective Agreement for public sector nurses and midwives.

Ms Gallagher said she had been very heartened by the spirit of cooperation that had permeated negotiations between ACT Health and the ANF.

“I believe that this outcome will be mutually beneficial for all involved and demonstrates the good-will between the two parties from the beginning,” Ms. Gallagher said.

“I would like to extend my thanks to the ANF for their willingness to negotiate an outcome which is beneficial to both the government, and to the nurses,” she said.

Ms Gallagher said that the Government acknowledged the pivotal role that nurses and midwives play in the ACT Health system.

“We recognise that attracting and retaining high quality nurses and midwives, who choose to work in ACT Health, is key to the capability of the health system being able to deliver quality health services,” Ms Gallagher said.

Ms Gallagher said the draft ACT Public Sector Nursing and Midwifery Staff Collective Agreement 2007–2009, which replaces the ACT Public Sector Nursing Staff Agreement 2004–2007, seeks to provide exceptional working conditions for nursing and midwifery staff, with a particular focus on achieving a work-life balance.

“This recognises the nature and demographics of the nursing and midwifery workforce and the need for them to be empowered to continue to deliver high quality health care services,” Ms Gallagher said.

Features of the new Agreement include:

· salary increases of 4.5 per cent from the first pay period after 23 March 2007, and 3.75% in March 2008 and 2009;

· increases in the annualised salary loading from 25%-35% for midwives employed in the Canberra Midwifery Program;

· various flexible shifts duration from 4 to 12 hours subject to mutual agreement;

· establishment of a new classification – Assistant in Nursing; and

· implementation of the Enrolled Nurse Level 2 classification.

The draft Agreement will now be checked by the Workplace Authority (previously known as the Office of the Employment Advocate) to ensure that it contains no prohibited content.

Once that check has been done, the final draft of the Agreement will be made available to nurses and midwives for consideration, over a seven day period.

A secret ballot for a formal vote will then be independently conducted.

If the Agreement is accepted by the majority of nurses and midwives who vote, then the new Agreement will be signed by the parties and lodged with the Workplace Authority.

Ms Gallagher said negotiations for the new draft agreement had progressed well considering the new Federal industrial relations legislation regime.

She said the agreement would incorporate the relevant conditions of the ACT Nurses Award 2000 and the common conditions of the ACT Public Service Core Template Agreement to form a comprehensive Agreement.

ACT Health and the ANF are now in the final stages of concluding the drafting of clauses.