Superior Care: offer to go to ballot

Published: 15 November 2011

Earlier this year, the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) provided your employer, Superior Care Group, with your log of claims to improve the terms and conditions of your new enterprise agreement.

These items were addressed as part of the negotiations which have now concluded. The table below identifies how those items are included in the final proposed agreement:

Item of claim
Agreement reached
No loss of current entitlements.
Maintained.
Application of all the terms and conditions in the Nurses Award 2010 as the parent award with no transitional arrangements to improved or reduced entitlements.
Clothing and laundry allowances not included as separate conditions but paid within your ordinary hourly rate of pay and award transitional arrangements continue to apply.
Nursing Classification Structure from Nurses' Aged Care Award - State 2005.
Maintained.
EN advanced practice position.
Not included.
AN level 3 position.
Maintained.
Wage increase to match public sector rates from 1 July 2011.
Public rates not achieved. Increases offered of 3.5% per year for the next three years from 1 September 2011.
Christmas Day (25 December) public holiday to paid at double time and a half the ordinary rate of pay.
Included.
Ability to cash out annual leave and long service leave.
Included.
Long service leave accumulated and taken at 1.3 weeks per year of service and to be accessible after seven years.
Included but at the rate of 0.866 weeks for each full year of service.
Qualifications allowance for RNs.
Not included.
Paid professional development leave to support RNs and ENs with the new continuing professional development requirements for registration as a nurse.
Included in Professional Development and Staff Training Needs clauses. There will be an annual survey of staff training needs that will then be supported by management.
Paid study leave if undertaking further formal nursing training.
As above.
Paid industrial relations training leave.
As above.
14 weeks paid maternity leave.
Not included. 6 weeks paid maternity leave maintained.
Paid ordinary rates when required to remain on the premises during meal breaks.
Included.
Orientation allowance of $10 per shift (for the shifts when ANs take on the responsibility of orientating and training new or temporary staff through mentoring and buddying during initial induction).
Not included.
It is now up to all employees who may be covered by this agreement to access a copy and consider what is included in the offer, and then to vote either “Yes” or “No” at ballot.

The ballot will open on 21 November 2011 when you will be issued with a ballot paper, and will be counted on 24 November at 4:30 pm.

The QNU encourages all nurses to take this opportunity to identify your preference by voting when the ballot opens.

Thanks to all those who have assisted during the negotiations.

Contact:

Phone:

Attached documents: