While we have made some headway in certain areas with negotiations for your nursing agreement, we are disappointed that the government haven’t made a wage offer to you yet.

We met with government negotiators last Friday to talk about your log of claims for the agreement and hear back from the various working groups. Here’s what we’ve achieved so far:

• We’ve agreed to consolidate the nursing agreements into one document, with the exception of the midwifery agreement, which will remain separate due to its specific arrangements for those workers

• We discussed the need to expand the scholarships offered and talked about how the market allowance could be applied similarly to provisions within the Health and Human Services Award to attract staff for vacant positions

• Feedback from the five working groups (Professional Development, Classifications, Rostering, WH&S, and HR) also gained some success, with the most robust discussion centred around the implementation of the 10 point plan to end violence and aggression, which we believe should be a no-brainer

However, the key issue remains what the government’s wage offer is. We emphasised that any progress on other matters should be based on a decent wage offer that addresses the cost of living pressures and pay disparity with your mainland colleagues. We made it very clear to the government that if they don’t make a fair offer, we will have no option but to recommend industrial action.

We’ll keep you updated on negotiations and continue pushing for improved pay and working conditions. If you need more info or have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact HACSUassist on 1300 880 032 or at assist@hacsu.org.au