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NHPPD - AIRC Orders Further Conciliation

At the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, (AIRC) conciliation conference on Friday 24 January the Government continued to misrepresent the unions’ position to address the nursing shortage in Tasmania’s public hospital system and blamed unions for the breakdown in the negotiations.

The major area of disagreement between HACSU and the government is the implementation of a 25% Enrolled Nurse to 75% Registered Nurse ratio across the whole public hospital system. HACSU has requested that the Department of Health and Human Services attempt, where possible, to employ nurses into the agreed 61 positions on an urgent basis.

HACSU has done everything possible to negotiate an outcome in order to bring more nurses into the health system as a matter of urgency. It is now up to the Government to deliver.

HACSU requested the matter be listed for arbitration with the understanding that discussions to resolve the issues could continue in the meantime.

However the Commission was not satisfied that the parties had exhausted all attempts to negotiate an agreed outcome and has ordered a further conciliation conference for Tuesday 11 February 2003.

An exchange of letters detailing each parties' understanding of which issues have been agreed to and which issues remain outstanding will occur prior to the next conciliation conference.

If at the end of the conciliation conference there is no agreement, dates will be set down for arbitration.

For further information contact your HACSU delegate or regional Nursing Officer.