with all the things that you read in the paper of late does anyone understand how it will effect nurses? and when exactly it will come into play for nurses?
for example could the DON call me in tomorow and say there no longer paying permanant night duty allowances and weekend penalty rates? if this is the case being that i work full time night duty and work almost every weekend, i could see my pay drop by around $700 a fortnight.
if this is what could happen..... i would be giving up my night duty position and i wont be working weekends...... at the very least i would leave the rural hospital i work at to work in a bigger town to leaving nursing all togeather. i cant see how the government can think these changes will make things better. i suppose it doesnt really effect them like its not like there having to work weekends, public holidays and night duty. man id love to smack these idiots about the head:angryfire
. According to admin I won't be paid at all for the four night shifts I've just finished, three in charge.
I have been living my quiet life in Queensland and obviously not paying enough attention to matters down south---Talaxandra, how can they not pay you????
My understanding of Work Choices is based in a different industry, however with the new laws being introduced industrial action has many more restrictions and regulations than it previously did.
There are a number of things that could allow the action to be considered illegal, especially if the rule that it is threatening to endanger life, personal safety, health or welfare or to cause significant economic damage. There is also a new clause which allows suspension or termination of the bargaining if "pattern bargaining" takes place.
My understanding is that the action take could be considered illegal under those two clauses. Ie. It is action taken for more than one hospital and is thus considered "pattern bargaining" and due to the work nurses do could be interpreted as threatening health or welfare.
It has also been suggested in some publications that the content of agreements put forward include prohibited content. Prohibited content includes allowing for industrial action during the term of an agreement, provisions for trade union training and providing a remedy for unfair dismissal.
I personally am not worried about losing any weekend rates etc because i don't work weekends or nights. But i can certainly see how taking away penalty rates would be completely unfair. Why work a saturday night shift when you get paid the same hourly rate for a weekend day shift?
I'm with Grace Oz on this one. We need to stick up for ourselves and not let employers walk all over us.
Sorry not to respond earlier - if I wasn't at work working then I was at work as a rep. It's been a long ten days!
We were in negotiations for our EBA and the government were... I'll be polite, and say that they weren't being particularly open. They had our log of claims for eight months but still "needed more time", wanted to remove ratios, bring in unskilled staff, negotiate separately with each hospital, and give us a pay increase less than the CPI.
Eleven days ago, at a statewide meeting of members, the ANF implemented industrial action (closing 1 in 4 beds etc), which the VHIA said constituted strike action. Under the new IR laws, industrial action results in docking of pay for a minimum of four hours, even if the action if for less than ten minutes. If the action continues, pay can be docked for the duration of the action.
There was unprecedented harassment and bullying from hospital administration across the state (with rare exceptions). Anyone who had a bed closed was docked at least four hours pay. If a bed was closed in an area for a whole shift, no pay for that shift. I was in charge on nights over the weekend, and lost 40 hours pay.
The government then initiated legal action to have the industrial action made illegal. When we still didn't open the beds they went to the Federal Court to impose fines. We were threatened with the union being fined $33,000 and fines for individual nurses of $6,000 a day.
There was a members meeting at Festival Hall on Thursday - in the 15 years I've been with the ANF I've never seen so many people: we filled the venue, and I think people would have voted to strike but the government (an hour before the meeting) finally caved. ANF Branch Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick has since said that, having seen the damage on nurses' families during the 1986 strike, she would have tried to dissuade members from withdrawing labour (http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/strongpeoplestrong-dedicated-unionist-was-always-a-bit-cheeky/2007/10/26/1192941333531.html) but emotion was running so high I don't know how successful she would have been.
However, no pay for the industrial action, which means I was docked 40 hours. But it's all good in the long run. The ANF, innundated with offers from the public, have launched a Victorian nurses Welfare and Hardship Fund for nurses who were docked and now suffering, where members of the public can donate.
Interestingly, the next day the AMA released a study about the general and unsatisfactory state of Australian hospitals - Victoria spends equal least but has the shortest bed stay etc, which I'm sure is down to the nurse: patient ratios. Ratios and skilled staff = better patient outcomes, improved staff retention and more efficient hospitals. Clearly I'm missing something.
I didn't submit a claim until yesterday, because I haven't experienced real hardship, just had to withdraw money from savings to pay rent and couldn't put money into savings as usual. But my organiser encouraged me to apply, as the amount I lost (40 hours of night duty, over a weekend, in charge) was substantial. Friends who've applied for, and received, funds got a percentage.
I was amazed at the solidarity and strength of members - just awe inspiring!
I'm a little worried that we are going to loose out. I have a family and we are looking at buying some land and puting a house on it but now we are thinking it might be better to wait and see what our employers do. I am so inpressed with the nurses in Victoria, you hung in there and got some back. Well done.
:icon_hug:
jax
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