As advised in EBA Updates 78, 79 and 80, ANF has been pushing for a meeting and/or FWA proceedings to finalise the drafting of the Agreement. ANF is very pleased to announce that today the parties reached agreement on all matters.
ANF thanks members for your patience and shares your relief that our efforts have finally led to the draft Agreement being concluded. It will soon be made available to you by your employer for a period of 7 days so that you can read it thoroughly. Following that, there will be a ballot of all staff which we anticipate will occur in early November.
Once approved by FWA, the following will apply:
- 2.5% wage increase backdated to 31 March 2012.
- Back payment of the CPD allowance of $1000.
- The new Enrolled Nurse career structure will be implemented, resulting in increases of between 3.91% and 13.16% in the first year.
- Minimum 5 weeks annual leave for RPNs and PENs.
- PEN change of shift allowance averaged and paid on an ongoing basis.
The outstanding issues that were resolved related to existing Agreement clauses 26(j) and 26(n) concerning PENs, PSOs and NDC employees and the operation of the dispute settling clause to deal with additional leave.
The attempt by employers to extend the application of 26(j) (temporary closure of an establishment and use of annual leave) to RPNs has not been successful and the clause will be deleted.
Prior to harmonisation of annual leave and public holiday benefits for PENs with those applying to RPNs, Clause 26(n) meant all PENs were entitled to four weeks annual leave with an additional week if rostered on 10 or more weekends for four hours or more. With harmonisation, all PENs will now receive five weeks annual leave minimum, and if full time and working weekends, a sixth week of annual leave. Existing PENs who work part time will receive pro rata of the additional (sixth) week by way of correspondence placed on the FWA file.
The dispute settling clause in the proposed agreement will also be varied to provide jurisdiction to FWA to deal with any disputes about the extra week of leave for existing PENs.
ANF is now looking forward to distribution of the EFT achieved in the campaign to help ease workloads in mental health nursing. The finalisation of the Mental Health EBA now also allows ANF to conclude the drafting of the Forensicare Agreement.
