As Members will have seen in previous e-News editions, the Public Sector bargaining campaign, Code Blue, has been launched and, following an extensive process of endorsement of the log of claims, bargaining is due to commence in October. There will be much to do during this campaign and we will need as many Members as possible engaged and active.
There are a couple of key differences between our model for Public Sector bargaining this round, compared to previous rounds.
Allied Health Professional Streams
As outlined in our “What is Important to you at Work?” report, we have grouped together the dozens of professions covered by the Branch into one of five Allied Health Professional Streams as follows:
- AHP Therapeutic & Clinical Stream
- AHP Radiation & Imaging Stream
- AHP Technical Stream
- AHP Social & Welfare Stream
- AHP Dental Stream
To ensure we’re able to organise and communicate quickly and efficiently at each of our sites during bargaining, we are looking for a Stream Convenor for each of the above streams. While this role could be performed by an existing Delegate, it’s also a great opportunity for a VAHPA Member who perhaps wants to be more involved but not necessarily become a Delegate.
Bargaining Representatives
We don’t bargain without Delegates or Members at the table. Clearly, with 86 different Employers covered by the Agreement, it won’t be possible to have someone from each workplace at the bargaining table, however we do want and need Members involved.
We are seeking around six Representatives in total, ideally achieving good coverage across a range of disciplines and amongst our metro and regional membership.
The Bargaining Representatives will attend the bargaining meetings with the Branch Secretary, Assistant Secretary and Industrial Staff. We anticipate the meetings will be roughly fortnightly and we will liaise with Employers for work release if necessary.
If you are interested in either of these roles, please complete the short Expression of Interest on this link CODE BLUE EOI. And of course, if you know of a co-worker who you think would be interested in either of these roles, please encourage them to apply.