6 May 1999

Summary of proposed Queensland Health EBIII

Key issues

•  5% wage increase NOT linked to Benchmarks 
•  Current Award provisions preserved for life of agreement
•  No trade offs
•  Workload management to be a key issue 
•  Negotiations have concluded - unlikely to achieve anything further through negotiation

Other points to note:

• Federal Workplace Relations legislation requires all Awards to be stripped back to 20 basic minimum conditions. This agreement ensures that all current Award provisions will continue in force for the life of the Agreement;
• Unions believe that the negotiation process has been exhausted. It is therefore unlikely that any further improvements could be gained from negotiations. Unions believe that if members reject the agreement, further improvements could only be obtained following protracted industrial action by members at the workplace.

Operative Date - 1 November, 1998
Expiry Date - 31 March, 2000
(17 month period)

If accepted, the first wage increase will be payable from 1 November 1998, and backpay will be paid

Other points to note:

Backpay will be payable from 1 November, 1998 and will be paid following formal Certification of the agreement in the Industrial Relations Commission.

Detail of the major provisions in the agreement

Pay increases...

•  2.5% or $14.00 (whichever is greater) from 1 November 1998 
•  2.5% or $14.00 (whichever is greater) from 1 November 1999 

NOTE: Members earning under $560.00 gross per week ($14.74 per hour) will receive the flat $14.00 increase

Part 2 - Wage increases

These wage increases are in line with wage increases being achieved under Enterprise Bargaining generally.

The increase is based on 3.5% per annum applied over a 17 month period (that is, 5% over 17 months).

The flat rate for members earning under $560 per week ensures a reasonable outcome for lower income employees.

Job security provisions...

•  No forced retrenchments
•  Direct Employment 
•  Restrictions on contracting out 
•  Contracting in 
•  No new prime vendoring until pilots evaluated 
•  No further commercial business units 
•  Permanent employment preference over casual and temporary

Part 3 - Job security

Clause 3.2 Contracting In - Provisions are included to allow organisational units to bid for work which is currently contracted out;

Clause 3.4 Prime Vendoring - This clause includes provision that prime vendoring will not proceed unless:

•  there is agreement between the parties; 
•  pilot projects have been fully evaluated; 
•  it does not involve job losses.

Part 4 - Prinicples of temporary and casual employment

Clause 4.3 - Appointment of temporaries - can only occur in the following circumstances:

•  unexpected/unplanned leave 
•  long term illness 
•  for planned leave where a permanent reliever cannot be justified 
•  fixed term planned projects 
•  to address seasonal workload increases 
•  in the event of organisational change 
•  employees undertaking an accredited fixed term course of study 
•  fixed term program funding (subject to review - see clause 4.4 - below) 
•  without limiting access to higher duties, backfilling where a legitimate recruitment process is occurring.

Casuals only to be used as daily hire in the event of emergency vacancies on rosters

Casuals will not be used to permanently fill any full time or part time position

Clause 4.4 - Employment practices under specific funding programs - to be reviewed with the aim of maximising permanent employment (eg. HACC). This is to reduce temporary employment in areas which consistently attract recurring funding. This review is to be completed by 30 April 1999.

Clause 4.6 Graduate Nurse Employment - QNU and Queensland Health to develop a specific policy for appointment of graduate nurses to be concluded by 31 July 1999. Until then, all appointments of graduate nurses are to be permanent or as agreed between the employer and the QNU.

Classification anomalies...

 Registered Nurse Level 3
 Assistant Directors Of Nursing 
 Assistants in Nursing
 Cars for DONs Grades 5 & 6 

Part 7 Rectification of anomalies

Clause 7.1 - RN Level 3s to receive 0.5% wage increase (to be applied to existing rates, that is, prior to the application of EB increases). The increase recognises the financial disincentives to nurses wishing to pursue career advancement from Level 2 to Level 3. Note, this increase only partly addresses this anomaly.

Clause 7.2 - ADONs - The role and function of ADONs to be reviewed to determine eligibility for advancement to a new Level 4 pay rate - initially in the following areas:

•  Gold Coast Hospital
•  Logan Hospital 
•  Mackay Hospital  
•  Mater Misericordiae Public hospitals 
•  Nambour Hospital  
•  Princess Alexandra Hospital 
•  Queen Elizabeth II Hospital 
•  Rockhampton Hospital 
•  Royal Brisbane Hospital  
•  The Prince Charles Hospital 
•  Toowoomba Hospital  
•  Townsville Hospital

Once agreed criteria have been established, any other ADON positions agreed to fit the criteria will also be classified at the new rate.

Clause 7.5 - Assistants in Nursing - AIN roles to be reviewed. The results of this review will be applied to AIN positions at specific sites by agreement. The review will include a review of pay rates for AINs commensurate with any change in duties resulting from the review.

Clause 7.3 - DONs - Other management staff in Queensland Health at the same level as DONs Grades 5 & 6 are already provided with cars.

These matters will be considered further throught the newly established nursing recruitment and retention task force

Rural and Remote Incentives...

Who?

• New employees who re-locate their residence to Schedule 2 area
• Existing employees who re-located to Schedule 2 area and have less than 17 months service in that area as at 1-11-98

What?

•  No accommodation charge for Queensland Health accommodation for 17 months; OR 
•  Rent Assistance of $75.00 per week for 17 months if in commercial accommodation 
•  Scheme to be reviewed having regard to rents in rural & remote areas 
•  Training for rural and remote DONs to be a priority issue

Part 6 Rural and remote incentives

• See Schedule 2 of the proposed agreement for a full list of the areas where this package will be available. This list may be extended by agreement.
• District Managers have the discretion to extend the period of accommodation assistance provided, having regard to recruitment and retention issues.
• Reasonable Queensland Health accommodation includes appropriate security measures being in place.
• Any surplus in the funds available for these incentives will be dedicated to improving accommodation assistance in a manner agreed to by the Parties.

Unlimited hours DONs and ADONs

Principles include flexibility but allow for:

•  regular relief for 2 days per week 
•  13 ADOs 
•  annual Leave 
•  average of 38 hours per week, 76 per fortnight or 152 hours over 4 weeks 
•  recognition of importance of uninterrupted free time from duty 
•  local arrangements to be fully documented

Clause 7.4

Currently DONs and ADONs are not subject to the limitation of hours contained in the Award - they are required to perform such hours as may, from time to time, be reasonably required.

These arrangements are designed to ensure reasonable conditions are attached to the hours required of DONs and ADONs.

Arrangements at the local area could include provisions for averaging hours worked and time off in lieu to avoid the working of unlimited hours.

Training...

• Training for employees who had limited access in the past 
• SARAS to be extended to include career development 
• Support for backfilling for those undertaking training to avoid excessive or increased workloads 
• Professional development programs to be developed for DONs (inc. access to SARAS)

Part 8 Training and development and career enhancement

• Groups identified as having had limited access to training in the past include assistants in nursing;
• SARAS (Study and Research Assistance Scheme) - SARAS will not be restricted to existing job requirements but will be available for career development;
• Professional development programs for DONs to be developed with the District Manager within 6 months of this agreement being Certified.

Other issues...

• All Award provisions to be preserved against stripping back 
• Workload management  
• Consultation 
• Health and Safety 
• Commitment to Equity 
• Work restructuring
• Nursing recruitment and retention taskforce 
• Improved public health system

Part 5 - Workload management

• Workload management has been identified as a key objective of the agreement 
• Workload management is to be a standing agenda item for all District Consultative Forums and the Single Bargaining Unit 
• Best practice models for workload management will be promulgated throughout the employers’ facilities

Part 12 Principles of consultation

• Commitment to proper consultation including the provision of information on policy, planning and management strategies for service delivery. Adequate time is to be allowed to understand, analyse and respond to such information. 
• Single Bargaining Unit to continue as the principle forum for consultation between the parties;
  District Consultative Forums will continue to meet at least 10 times annually at times mutually agreed between the parties

Clause 1.9 Health and safety

• Queensland Health Occupational Health and Safety Committee to provide strategic direction and identify priority areas in relation to injury reduction and stress prevention;
• Hospital security measures to be reviewed and appropriate measures implemented during the life of the agreement;

Clause 1.8 Equity considerations

• Equal Employment Opportunity strategies and performance indicators to be developed. Support to be provided for the implementation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 156 - Workers with Family Responsibilities.

Clause 3.8 Work restructuring

• Any changes which may affect security of employment will be subject of consultation with Unions with the objective of mitigating against any adverse impact on security and certainty of employment

Part 9 - Recruitment and retention

• Nothing in the agreement will limit the implementation of findings arising out of the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Taskforce.