A strong union on your side
Published: 2 February 2009
Along with the many challenges we face – particularly in the midst of a global economic meltdown – we can also look forward to some exciting changes and opportunities for QNU members in the coming years.
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission’s (AIRC) announcement in January, confirming its support for the establishment of a nursing occupational award which maintains our nursing identity, comes as great news for QNU members.
The announcement follows the AIRC’s award modernisation process to create new awards covering the wages and conditions of workers across Australia. This process is part of a federal government re-think of how minimum entitlements are protected.
As part of our campaign with the Australian Nursing Federation, thousands of nurses and midwives from across Australia signed a petition calling for us to be included under an occupational award instead of an industry award.
Under industry awards we stood to lose career and classification structures covering nurses and midwives, as well as conditions that reflect our workloads and working responsibilities.
We look forward to the opportunity the AIRC’s support has presented to ensure nurses and midwives get the best deal though this award modernisation process.
As part of our continuing commitment to promote and defend your industrial, professional, social, political and democratic values and interests we’ve made some changes to the way we ‘do business’ to ensure we are best placed to communicate the key issues and challenges affecting you.
This is the first edition of our new-look journal, which is the outcome of a broad review of our communication materials.
The changes and improvements to this journal, and some of our other communication items, are based on your feedback. We surveyed nearly 2,000 members and we listened to your emails and phone calls.
We know that most QNU members read all or some of the TQN. We know what you like to read about and what you don’t. Hopefully our renewed focus on practical professional, industrial, legal and workplace health and safety issues, balanced with a mix of interesting news and nursing perspectives means we are better communicating the issues that matter most to you.
We’ll shortly also be releasing a new-look newsletter which will be sent to your workplaces through your branches, workplace representatives and activists. This newsletter replaces the Union Update and will communicate important issues between journals. Keep an eye out for this new newsletter in your workplace soon.
We’re also very busy developing a new QNU website. We know you want to find information quickly and easily, and we also know the type of information you’re looking to find. We’re creating a completely different website to make it easier for you to access QNU information and materials to support you in your roles as nurses and midwives and as valuable members of our Union.
In addition to these changes, a new Council is now in place to manage the direction of our Union for the next two years. We welcome new Councillors with their enthusiasm and energy, and re-elected Councillors with their knowledge and experience, who will work together to manage the affairs of our Union and oversee the implementation of your Annual Conference decisions. I look forward to working with all QNU Councillors over the next two years as we look for opportunities to better serve QNU members.
As you can see we have some exciting times ahead. With these changes and challenges we are growing stronger as a responsive Union placed well to represent your values and interests.
After all, amid the doom and gloom surrounding slowing wages and increasing unemployment, it’s good to know there’s a strong Union on your side.
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