SAYING NO— Community Heath Professionals vote on Enterprise Agreement

Nine Victorian Community Health Centres are in the process of voting on a non-Union, management-offered Enterprise Agreement. The proposed Agreement is substandard on a range of levels and if voted up would have negative implications for Health Professionals across Victoria.

The Agreement includes pay increases well below those given to Health Professionals working in the public sector as part of the 2011-15 EA; it is also well below increases granted to the Health Professional group covered by HSU Branch 4 only months ago.

The VPHA is urging Community Health Professionals to vote NO to this Agreement.

‘The VHIA and management have put an Agreement out to members that would see them become the worst paid Health Professionals in the country,’ said VHPA Secretary Craig McGregor.

‘Community Health Professionals should look to what their colleagues covered by Branch 4 of the HSU are being paid by the same employers,’ continued McGregor. ‘The comparison is stark. If we look at two HPs, a Dietitian and an Exercise Physiologist or Occupational Therapist for instance, both at Grade 2 Year 4 and both starting on the same day in 2008, the Dietitian would be near $35,000 better off over that period. That’s the start of a deposit for a house, or more than enough for a new car.’

‘There is no just reason why Health Professionals covered by VHPA should not be remunerated at the same level as their Branch 4 colleagues—those who they work next to on a daily basis,’ concluded Mr McGregor.

The proposed Agreement would also remove employees’ ability to dispute workload issues. Thus, if a management were to unilaterally increase clinicians’ workloads (eg by reducing staff numbers) those employees would not have the ability to take their concerns to Fair Work for independent arbitration.

If Community Health Professionals vote yes to this agreement, the gap between Community Health Professionals and other health professionals is set to become even greater.

VHPA believes Community Health Professionals deserve to be treated with respect and remunerated fairly. We are thus encouraging all Community Health members to vote NO to management’s insulting proposal.

*average annual salary for Gr2 Yr4 Health Professionals

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