VAHPA is proud to announce the launch of our Members’ Solidarity Fund on 30 March 2022.
When VAHPA Members are bargaining for a new or replacement collective agreement, they sometimes find protected industrial action is required to achieve a fair and equitable outcome. Some of these actions involve stoppages of varying durations, ranging from a few minutes to don a campaign t-shirt or display some flyers to longer stoppages.
The Fair Work Act requires that staff taking part in stoppages are not paid for these periods. In practical terms, this means some Allied Health Professionals are docked for these periods: sometimes in minutes, sometimes longer.
The Members’ Solidarity Fund will enable us to support VAHPA Members who are financially impacted whilst taking protected industrial action or who may be prevented from taking part in protected industrial action due to financial concerns.
More broadly, having this fund ready and growing makes a strong statement that we are ready in a practical sense for any battle with the respective employers we bargain with. Members should be able to exercise their democratic rights in the workplace without undue fear or anxiety from any source.
VAHPA ran a successful fundraising campaign in 2013/14 to support Members at Healthcare Imaging Services (now Lumus Imaging), however we are keen to embed this as part of our ongoing practice.

How does this work?
Funds raised for the Members’ Solidarity Fund are maintained in a separate bank account, and are only available to VAHPA Members participating in protected industrial action. Any funds paid out of this account are paid directly to impacted Members requesting support. To ensure transparency, documentation showing any docked wages will be kept on file.
Our First Members’ Solidarity Fund Event!
Our first event will be a film night at the Regent Cinema Ballarat on Wednesday 11 May at 6:30pm. The film is, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent“. You can book tickets via this link at $20 full price or $17 for concession holders.
“These events are a great opportunity for VAHPA Members from all sectors to get together and support their fellow Allied Health Professional” said VAHPA Assistant Secretary, Andrew Hewat, ” and it’s definitely something we need to build.”
Want to host an event?
If you’ve got an idea for a VAHPA Members’ Solidarity Fund event, please contact VAHPA at info@vahpa.asn.au. A gold coin-donation morning tea is every bit as important as bigger or higher-profile events. Every event – however big or small! – helps grow the fund.
Questions?
Please contact Linda Jenkin at info@vahpa.asn.au