Ramsay nurses need an enterprise agreement - Queensland ...

Ramsay Health Care QNU members 10 October 2012
Caboolture, Hillcrest Rockhampton, John Flynn, North West, Noosa, Nambour Selangor, Caloundra, St
Andrew’s Ipswich, Pindara, Pindara Day, Short Street, New Farm Clinic
Enterprise bargaining update #3
Ramsay nurses need an
enterprise agreement
After 8 meetings negotiations have stalled for the replacement Ramsay nursing enterprise agreement.
Ramsay management want to wait for the Full Bench decision in relation to annual leave for shift
workers before finalising an offer to go out to a ballot of nurses. The Full Bench is not scheduled to
hear the matter until the next year and there is no knowing when a decision will be released.
Considering Ramsay is in such a healthy financial position – worth more $3.96 billion - it is in a
position to make a generous offer to its nurses but it won’t even make a fair one.
Here are the details of the outcomes from the negotiations so far.
www.qnu.org.au
QNU CLAIM 8 MAY 2012
Item 1 – No reduction in existing entitlements
Item 2 – Wages and allowances
■■
RN Level 3 and AIN to be increased to be
consistent with the Public Sector
All wages to increase:
■■
3% from first full pay period on or after
1 April 2012
■■
3% from first full pay period on or after
1 April 2013
■■
3% from first full pay period on or after
1 April 2014
■■
Allowances to increase as per wage
Item 3 – Length of Agreement
Agreement to commence operation from date of
approval and expire 31 March 2015.
Item 4 – Overtime rate
Over time rates for work performed Monday to
Friday to be paid at time and a half for the first 2
hours and double time thereafter. (Consistent with
Nurses Award 2010)
Item 5 – Annual leave and public holidays
Replace option A and option B with the Nurses
Award provision, as follows:
5.1 Annual leave
5 weeks annual leave for non-shift workers and 6
weeks for shift workers and permanent night shift
nurses and midwives.
5.2 Public Holidays
All work done by an employee during their ordinary
shifts on a public holiday, to be paid at double time
(200%) of their ordinary rate of pay.
STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS
Rejected
Rejected
Counter proposal:
■■
3% administrative payment from October 2012
■■
Is subject to annual leave outcome.
■■
Is subject to annual leave outcome.
Subject to agreement being approved at ballot.
Ramsay is deferring negotiations pending outcome
of Full Bench decision in 2013. At time of halting
negotiations it was proposing a 4 year agreement.
Rejected
The Employer does not agree to move away from
the current situation which is to pay time and a half
for the first 3 hours and double time thereafter.
QNU Note: Many other private hospitals are
introducing this.
Counter proposal:
Management handed out a new proposal for annual
leave and public holidays - 31 July 2012.
5 weeks annual leave for all employees
6 weeks if an employee works 20 times on each day
of the week in a year.
Counter proposal:
177% on all public holidays worked
Employees have to work 80%of days on which
public holiday falls within the last 6 months for the
public holiday to be paid, if rostered off.

QNU CLAIM 8 MAY 2012
Item 6 – Long Service Leave
Nurses and midwives to have the option of
accessing and cashing out accrued long service leave
after 7 years of service.
Item 7 – Professional Development Assistance
7.1 – Leave
The employer to provide at least 3 days per year
paid professional development leave. If training
occurs a day off, employees should be paid for the
training days or should receive a paid day off in
compensation.
An additional 24 hours paid leave if travel is
required to attend the training.
7.2 – Allowance
Professional development allowance at the rate of
$1500 per year to be paid to nurses and midwives to
attend training.
Nurses and midwives to be entitled to accrue
professional development leave entitlement for up
to 2 years.
Item 8 –Paid Parental Leave
14 weeks paid maternity leave to be accessible after
12 months of service
Paid adoption leave as per maternity leave
2 weeks paid paternity leave, accessible after
12 months of service.
Item 9 – Nurse : patient ratios
Implementation of a system to identify nurse :
patient ratios to address workload issues.
Item 10 – Career Structure review
Professional Career Structure to be jointly reviewed
by management, the employees and the QNU,
through consultative committees, during the life of
the Agreement.
STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS
Agreed – 5 June 2012 but now deferred
Originally commencement date of October 2012 i.e.
the same time as the first pay increase but will not
come into place now until an agreement is made.
Counter proposal:
On 19 June 2012 Ramsay tabled a “Professional
Development Support” clause that provides for at
least 24 hours per year paid in service training
but requires employees to undertake in their own
time reciprocal period of ongoing education. It
also indicates that employees would receive a
password to access the mandatory and self selection
professional development modules from the
Ramsay Training Institute (RTI).
The QNU tabled a clause on 17 July that is more
in line with the log of claims. The clause was not
agreed – 31 July 2012.
Rejected
Counter proposal:
Same quantum as current entitlement – 8 weeks
but change from 6 weeks at the commencement of
maternity plus 2 weeks on return.
Rejected
Rejected
Staffing levels remain a management responsibility
and will continue to be reviewed on an ongoing
basis throughout the day as factors may change
without notice.
If an employee has a concern, they should raise
it with their manager and give the manager the
opportunity to fix the problem. If the problem
persists it may be escalated as per the grievance
procedure.
Ramsay supports the use of QNU Workload
Management forms.
Rejected.
Ramsay believes its structure suits the needs of the
business and there is no agreement to undertake a
further review.
www.qnu.org.au

www.qnu.org.au
QNU CLAIM 8 MAY 2012
STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS
Item 11 – Enrolled Nurses Classification review
Addition of pay points 6 and 7 to Enrolled Nurse Counter proposal:
classification.
The Employer agrees to introduce a 6th pay level
for Endorsed Enrolled Nurses which will equal
the RN Level 1, year 1 (re-entry level). EENs with
1976+ hours at EEN year 5 will move up to the
new pay level effective from the first pay period
commencing on or after 1/10/12 when the next pay
increase is due. (QNU note: not sure if this has been
implemented since negotiations put on hold).
Offer of an additional pay year for this group of
employees represents a 1.2% increase, equal to
$0.34 per hour.
No agreement to introduce a 7 th pay point.
Item 12 - Uniform and laundry
If the employer does not supply uniforms,
employees to be paid a uniform allowance of $6.24
per week or $1.23 per shift, whichever is less.
If the employees are required to launder their
uniforms, they should be paid a laundry allowance
equivalent to $2.00 per week or $0.40 per shift.
Item 13 – Travel Allowance
If an employee is directed to use their own vehicle
in the course of their duties, they would be paid an
allowance equivalent to $1.50 per kilometre to cover
petrol and maintenance.
Item 14 – On Call Allowance
On call allowances to increase as follows:
■ Mon–Friday between shifts:
■ Saturday, Sunday or days off :
■ Public holidays:
$3.00/hr
$4.00/hr
$5.00/hr
Item 15 – On call fatigue
Provision of at least 10 hours break (or 8 hours if
agreed) after all period of call-in.
Item 16 – On-call - Extra week of paid leave
Additional 38 hours of annual leave for nurses and
midwives if they are:
■ rostered to be on call a minimum of 160 hours in
a 12 month period; or
■ called in to work on 12 or more occasions in any
one year.
Rejected
All sites other than New Farm, provide uniforms
free of charge. Employees at New Farm receive a
$230 p.a.
On 19 June Ramsay offered a 10% increase ($253) if
the employer does not provide uniforms. Increase
to operate from first wage increase in October and
will not increase through the life of the agreement
Ramsay pays a laundry allowance of $3.88 per
fortnight. It is expected that this practice will
continue with this allowance being increased in line
with the agreed wage increases. Ramsay has not
confirmed if the provision would be included in the
Agreement.
Rejected
No agreement to increase the on-call allowance over
and above the percentage rates agreed to for wages.
Ramsay proposed a new system in which on call is
not paid on hourly basis but for 24 hours or total
period between the completion of one shift and the
commencement or the next as follows:
■ Mon-Fri: $27.00
■ Sat, Sun, PH, ADO: $43.20
Minimum payment for less than 12 hours:
■ Mon-Fri: $18.21
■ Sat, Sun, PH, ADO: $31.89
Rejected
Ramsay proposed new clause on that gives NUMs
the ability to recommend to their ADOC/DOC that
an employee be stood down on full pay when an
employee has been called in to work within 8 hours
of commencing their next rostered shift.
Counter proposal:
Include current practice in agreement of an extra
week of annual leave 75+ periods of on call.

QNU CLAIM 8 MAY 2012
Item 17 – Correct payment for call-in periods
STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS
Clarification of rates of pay for call-in periods. Employer believes the payments are correct .
Item 18 – Reasonable Overtime
No employee will be required to work more than 16 Rejected.
hours of overtime in a 28 day period.
Item 19 – Industrial Training Leave and Union Conference Leave
Paid Industrial Relations Training leave of five (5) Rejected – retain current provisions.
working days per annum, as per clause 2.4 of the
current Agreement, to be extended to all staff.
Union delegates to be granted three (3) days paid
leave each calendar year to attend QNU Annual
Conference.
Item 20 - Purchase of annual leave
Employees to have the option of purchasing annual Agreed
leave.
Item 21 – Formal/Compulsory Debriefing System
Immediate staff support in defusing following a Agreed
time of high stress in the workplace.
Item 22 – Disaster Leave
Three (3) days paid leave per occasion on account of Rejected
physical inability to attend a rostered period of duty
as a direct result of a natural disaster or for having
to attend an emergency at home as primary carer.
Item 23 – Paid change time
Ten (10) minute change time upon commencement Rejected
or cessation of each nursing shift for staff required
to wear special clothing.
Item 24- Childcare
Review of childcare options available.
See Ramsay policy.
Item 25- Parking
Safe car parking.
Rejected
Item 26 – Notice of Long Service Leave Entitlement
Long service leave entitlement to be recorded on
pay slips.
Rejected as system is unable to record accurate
accruals.
QNU Workplace visits
QNU Organisers will be conducting workplace visits at the following Ramsay sites in the
coming weeks:
John Flynn Private
16 October, 0930 – 1100 hrs,
Hudsons Coffee Shop
16 October, 1200 – 1400 hrs
PDA Room, Education Centre.
New Farm Clinic
17 October , 1430 – 1600,
Staff tea room.
North West Private
18 October, 1130 – 1300 hrs,
Education room.
Hillcrest Private Hospital Rockhampton
18 October, 1400 hrs
Venue TBC.
Please come along to support your colleagues in the quest to improve your pay and conditions.
Authorised by B. Mohle, Secretary, Queensland Nurses’ Union, October 2012.
www.qnu.org.au