Call the HACSU Helpline
1300 88 00 32

more info

Winter 2003

Bishop Davies Court - Nursing Home gets Worksite Committee Organised

HACSU members working at Bishop Davies Court in Kingston are getting organised.

Members have formed a Worksite Committee, with all sections of the workforce represented, and are now addressing issues systematically.

And there are quite a few issues members want looked at, including;

• the chemical contents of atomizers and their usage in the home,
• several staffing issues, including in the kitchen, nursing and cleaning areas,
• infection control procedures. HACSU Organiser, Vlad Lefleur, said he was very pleased with the progress of the Worksite Committee.

"They are now tackling a lot of the issues themselves and are dealing with them in an effective businesslike manner."

"There are eight people on the Worksite Committee, so we now have a bigger union presence and people have a wider range of union reps to approach if they have an issue. That's what Worksite Committees are all about."

"A lot of the issues revolve around staffing. The Worksite Committee is properly investigating the problems, looking for solutions and working the problems through."

"There is a particular concern about changes which start off as trials, which then have no end date and somehow become the status quo without a proper evaluation. I think the nursing staff setting up the breakfast trays for residents is a case in point."

"The point about Worksite Committees is that the workload is spread around and there is then an ability for follow-through on issues, so trials with no end date will not occur in the future."