21 November 2019
Members in the paediatric unit at Flinders Medical Centre contacted the ANMF (SA Branch) after being advised by management that part-time working arrangements were not permitted to fall below 0.5 FTE or 2.5 days a week.
This was a concern for many members who were seeking a better work/life balance to suit their lifestyle, particularly those with children.
The ANMF (SA Branch) persisted with correspondence with the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN), who has now confirmed there is no minimum FTE requirement.
SALHN has assured the ANMF (SA Branch) that, as long as operational requirements are met and your mandatory training requirements are fulfilled*, you are welcome to make a flexible working arrangement in accordance with section 10.5 of your Nursing/Midwifery Enterprise Agreement 2016. We encourage you to speak with your manager if you wish to discuss your work/life balance.
This sets an important precedent for other areas of the hospital, so we encourage members in other units to reference this decision if you are concerned about a minimum FTE requirement set by management.
* AHPRA’s set minimum requirement to keep your registration valid is 450 hours over a five-year period, which equates to three months’ full-time work.