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Public Sector HACSU NURSES TO STOP WORK TO CONSIDER INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Nurse Members of the Health and Community Services Union will meet over the next two days to consider joining with their ANF Colleagues Industrial Action over the Governments mishandling of the Current Enterprise Bargaining negotiations in the Public Sector.

Tim Jacobson HACSU Assistant State Secretary said today " The Government has made an almighty bungle with the negotiations with both nursing unions over the agreement. Nurses are incensed at the Governments lack of capacity to negotiate a fair and balanced agreement."

"Nurses are not intimidated by the Ministers for Health and Human Services - David Llewellyn's threats to take the matter to the Industrial Relations Commission as they have done everything in their power to negotiate through this process. The shut down by Government on further negotiations has led to the unprecedented action by nurses" he said.

The facts to date:

• Members rejected the Governments offer at meetings recently as the Government package failed to address significant conditions matters nurses wanted dealt with in the agreement.

• HACSU wrote to the Government negotiators on 21 April advising of members' rejection and sought urgent negotiations in an attempt to avert any industrial action.

• No response was received from the government until last Friday where the government advised in a letter to both unions that 'the limit has been reached in the current Government proposal'. Essentially slamming the door on further negotiations.

• The Governments proposal is incomplete. A commitment was given to unions in writing on 6 April to provide details regarding a Rural and Remote Nurses Allowance by 15 April. This proposal has not been received.

Therefore unions are not in the position to even discuss a final package with members, as it is incomplete.

HACSU will be reporting to members on not only the lack of action on issues of immediate and extreme importance to them, but also on the absolute incompetence shown regarding these negotiations by the Government and Government negotiators.