5 June 2020
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (SA Branch) Executive, Council, Staff and Worksite Representatives have worked tirelessly to be able to secure a new Agreement which protects and extends your wages and conditions over the coming years.
The delays in resolution of your bargaining claims have frustrated all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the factors impacting on the capacity to bargain effectively and has clearly led to significant increases in unemployment and, in some cases, to proposals to impose wage freezes in the public sector.
Our key goals, endorsed by members at the outset of this round of bargaining, were to protect safe staffing levels, maintain job security, and to protect existing conditions of employment.
Your employer during the bargaining process proposed to cap staffing levels, claimed to have the capacity to make forced redundancies and sought to reduce the length of night shifts from 10 hours to 9.5.
We are pleased and proud to report that as a result of your active support for the ANMF (SA Branch) position, the proposed new Agreement delivers on our goals and does not include any of the proposals for change sought by the employers. The wage increases of 2% are modest, but at a time of international and national economic disruption, ensure that your wages will grow in the period ahead.
We have also, despite policies to the contrary, secured back-payment of the first 2% increase to the first full pay period in January this year.
Alongside the formal proposed agreement SA Health has committed to the early and full implementation of policies intended to address the issues of violence and fatigue. Both issues were significant in our campaigning work and we will closely monitor progress and performance and hold employers accountable to these commitments.
At a time of significant community disruption, economic uncertainty and rising insecurity of work, the proposed Agreement will provide wage improvements and protect your working conditions over the coming two years.
The ANMF (SA Branch) Council recommends your approval of this new Agreement and I urge you to vote ‘YES’ in this ballot by the closing date of 5pm on Wednesday 24 June 2020.
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