Conference “conditionally endorses” payroll agreement with State Government
Published: 15 July 2011
The Queensland Nurses Union’s (QNU) 30th annual conference has conditionally endorsed an agreement with the State Government and other health unions, which will ratify Queensland Health’s current moratorium on the recovery of previous overpayments to staff and restore the focus on fully reimbursing any underpaid staff.
The agreement, which is the result of weeks of intensive negotiations between the QNU, Queensland Health, the Health Minister and Premier, also includes the appointment of an independent and external Workplace Ombudsman to mediate between Queensland Health management and staff to rectify ongoing pay problems and to deal with staff complaints about the process and Queensland Health’s response.
It also provides increased resourcing for Nurse Unit Managers and Line Managers to enable them to assist with pay system, without this continuing to be done at the expense of their other core duties.
New pay adjustment arrangements will also be trialled at a small number of agreed sites to determine if the number of overpayments and underpayments resulting from roster adjustments each pay period can be reduced.
The agreement, if also ratified by the other health unions, will be supervised by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) and operate until all parties to the agreement are satisfied the Queensland Health payroll system is operating properly.
QNU secretary, Beth Mohle, said that, as a result of this agreement, Queensland Health will not recommence the recovery of overpayments until strategies to resolve underpayments have been significantly addressed and the QIRC determines that the overpayment recovery process can continue.
“The condition conference placed on QNU acceptance of this agreement is that Queensland Health must honour all of the undertakings set out in the proposed agreement. That might seem strange, but it is a sign of the high level of mistrust that has developed amongst nurses, midwives and other staff towards Queensland Health over this pay issue.
“Conference also noted that, for the package of proposed changes to be realisable, there must be significant improvement in the details provided on payslips, which staff currently find hard to read and understand,” Ms Mohle said.
The QNU annual conference is being held this week at the Sofitel Hotel, 249 Turbot Street, Brisbane.
More than 230 delegates, representing more than 41,500 nurses and midwives from hospitals, community health facilities and aged care facilities throughout Queensland, are discussing a range of industrial relations, health and political issues.Contact:
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