Please find attached: The Collective Perspective: October/November 2010 [PDF: 777KB]

Information sessions in respect of the replacement Public Sector Nurses and Midwives Enterprise Agreement will be conducted by ACT Health at the following venues and times:

• Monday 18 October at 3:30pm – Training Room 2, Levell, 1 Moore Street
• Wednesday 20 October at 9:00pm – TCH Auditorium
• Thursday 21 October at 2:30pm – TCH Auditorium
• Thursday 21 October at 9pm – Post Graduate Seminar Room, Level 3, Calvary (Xavier Building)
• Friday 22 October at 2pm – Function Room, Calvary (Lewisham Building)
• Monday 25 October at 3:30pm – Nursing Tea Room, Phillip Health Centre

Members are hereby notified that the ACT ANF will be in attendance at these information sessions and will be available to answer members’ questions in respect of the replacement Agreement at the conclusion of the ACT Health presentation.

Underpaid allowance payments to be paid correctly to eligible public sector part-time and casual nurses and midwives, effective from 14 October and backdated until March 2007.

The ACT ANF first became aware of this issue in about February 2009. The ACT ANF has been actively pursuing this matter on behalf of members since April 2009 with the CEO of ACT Health and through the Agency Consultative Committee throughout 2009 and 2010.

Following receipt of legal advice, the ACT ANF again approached the ACT Health CEO, Dr Peggy Brown, in February 2010 in respect of this matter without resolution.

The matter was the subject of a conference in Fair Work Australia on 14 July 2010, where Commissioner Deegan referred the matter for arbitration if a settlement could not be reached. A further conference was held before Commissioner McKenna on 6 August 2010, at which ACT Health agreed to settle the matter.

The ACT ANF has been informed that ACT Health payroll have processed the correct payment for eligible part time and casual nurses and midwives to receive the full time payment of the Qualification Allowance effective on payday 14 October 2010. The time frame for the processing of the back adjustment to March 2007 is yet to be advised.

The ACT ANF thanks affected members for their patience while the ACT ANF progressed this matter on their behalf, but is pleased that the persistence of the ACT ANF over an almost two year period will result in members being paid their correct entitlements under their Collective Agreement.

Members are asked to carefully check their pay slips to ensure that they are now being paid the correct amount in respect oftheir Qualification Allowance and contact the ACT ANF should they experience any difficulties. The ACT ANF will notify members when to expect their back adjustment when notification is received from ACT Health.

Once again, this outcome is a demonstration of what the union can do for you and a testament to the fact that: THE COLLECTIVE IS ALWAYS MUCH STRONGER THAN THE INDIVIDUAL.

Read the original notice here: Notice: Persistence pays off [PDF:82KB]

The revised National Standards were formally launched on 16 September at The Mental Health Services (TheMHS) Conference and are currently available on the following website: www.health.gov.au/mhsc.

More information can be found in the attached PDF: Revised National Standards for Mental Health Services [80KB]

Please find attached: The Collective Perspective: July/August 2010 [PDF: 1.56MB]