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Victoria’s Health Minister, David Davis should help resolve the Community Health Professionals Enterprise Agreement says the VHPA.
Last week the Minister announced he had successfully negotiated an Enterprise Agreement with doctors in our public hospitals, stating they had accepted an offer of 10% over three years.
“This agreement was a fair outcome following constructive talks in the Fair Work Commission,” Mr Davis said.
The Minister also said that he believed the “current round of major public health enterprise bargaining agreements has now concluded, with the exception of the Ambulance EBA.”
Immediately following the Minister’s announcement, VHPA Secretary Craig McGregor wrote to the Minister to congratulate him and to ‘respectfully request’ he now intervene in the Enterprise Agreement for Community Health Professionals.
Given the historically very close links between the public and Community Health sectors and the strong funding ties with the Government, the VHPA feels the Minister has a duty to assist.
The VHPA letter highlighted to the Minister the important role of Community Health Professionals in Victoria’s health system and briefly explained the inequity of their current situation with regard to similarly qualified Professionals being paid more.
“This situation is having a detrimental effect on the ability of Community Health Services to retain Health Professionals and consequently on the health of Victorians,” the VHPA letter states.
The VHPA has requested a meeting with the Minister to discuss the matter.
“In recent weeks the State Government have offered the Ambulance Employees a 12% pay rise over three years and the public hospital doctors a 10% pay rise over 3 years,” said Craig McGregor, VHPA Secretary.
“This shows Community Health Professionals have every right to expect a better offer than the 2.5% the VHIA continues to say is the limit.”