QNU Annual Report 08-09.indd - Queensland Nurses Union

ORGANISATIONAL
Assistant Secretary Beth Mohle with members at the Townsville
Nurses. For you. For life. campaign launch
Coordinated by all branches of the Australian Nursing
Federation (ANF) including the QNU, the campaign
calls on the federal government to provide adequate
funding for aged care in the 2010 budget, as well as
ensure accountability and transparency around how
these funds are spent.
Over the period leading up to the federal election
the campaign aims to put pressure on the Australian
government and aged care providers to address our issues.
The next 12 months is crucial to the campaign so
members are urged to tell family, friends and colleagues
about the campaign and visit the website at
www.becausewecare.org.au
Face of the Because We Care campaign, Alba Vignolo (left)
In response to the critical nursing and midwifery
shortages in Queensland, we launched the Nurses. For
You. For Life. campaign in October 2008. This campaign
started with a round of television and newspaper
advertising which was rolled out across the state. The
campaign calls on governments, health and aged care
employers to seriously address current and predicted
nursing and midwifery shortages in Queensland through
coordinated action around recruitment and retention
strategies.
The Nurses. For you, For life, campaign is the overarching
campaign for everything we do at the QNU and its
major themes have informed our ongoing political
lobbying through submissions and hearings as well as
our professional and industrial campaigns.
A special campaign webpage, including a comprehensive
package of campaign materials, can be found at
www.nursesforyouforlife.com.au
Member servicing
With our growing number of members it has been, and
continues to be, essential that we have the resources
and support mechanisms in place to meet individual
member demand for the QNU’s services.
Individual member matters continue to increase and we
have put in place mechanisms and procedures to meet
this demand.
The Membership Servicing Centre (MSC) continues
to assist members with advice and information, while
organisers are responsible for organising and member
representation. Our five regional offices handle
individual member matters as well as undertake an
organising function.
In Brisbane we have employed an industrial officer
(servicing) to handle individual workplace issues along
with two dedicated servicing organisers already in place.
In March 2009 we launched our Because We Care
campaign, aimed at addressing serious issues facing
nurses and residents in aged care.
In addition, we have specialist legal, professional and
industrial staff who provide advice to members and
represent them in courts, tribunals and before the
Queensland Nursing Council (QNC) where appropriate.
We closely monitor the servicing requirements of
members and allocate resources to address their needs.
Queensland Nurses’ Union of Employees | Annual Report 2008-09 | 5