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Summer 2003

Aged Care Nurses set to Bargain

HACSU nurse members working in aged care are gearing up for the next round of enterprise bargaining. A State-wide survey of nurse members working in this sector has been undertaken, and HACSU officials have met with employer representatives, the TCCI, to discuss the process for dealing with negotiations.

Key issues emerging from the membership survey were pay parity with nurses in other sectors, a range of
workload issues and staffing. The survey covered a cross section of RNs and ENs, working part time, full time and casual, over a third of whom had been employed for 10 years or more.

Eighty one percent of respondents said that they were currently working over time, with more than half of
respondents saying they were working unpaid overtime. In an average week, overtime was around 3 hours, although this ranged from 1-10 hours.

Forty percent of respondents said documentation time had continued to expand, with many saying addressing this was now a top priority for union members.

Other issues included;

• more recognition for ENs,

• bullying by management,

• night duty penalties need to be increased,

• salary packaging not being offered,

• preceptor allowance,

• paid maternity leave,

• paid training/education.

Respondents to the survey came from all areas of the State.

HACSU is aiming to lodge a claim within the next 4-5 weeks.