VAHPA wins CPD Allowance dispute!

The long-standing CDP Allowance dispute appears to have come to an end. On 1 August 2017, the Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association (VHIA) backed-down and issued a bulletin directing their members (the Hospitals) to make payment of the 2016 CPD Allowance to Allied Health Professionals.

The bulletin notes, hospitals should make “…payment as soon as practicable in order to avoid any further disputation and/or potential legal proceedings by VAHPA about this matter.”

The payment is the third and final CPD Allowance for Allied Health Professionals coming from the Clause 11 negotiations. The money, some $1.5 million per annum, was rolled into base wages in the new public sector agreement once this commenced operation on 3 May 2017.

“After due consideration, we determined that it made better financial sense for the money to go into wages where it would attract regular percentage increases such as that coming in 1 November this year,” said VAHPA Secretary, Craig McGregor.

For details on the payment, such as who is entitled to it and what the quantum is, see The Continuing Professional Development Allowance, at Clause 30.15 in the previous agreement, the Victorian Public Health Sector (Health Professionals, Health and Allied Services, Managers & Administrative Officers) Enterprise Agreement 2011 – 2015.

The Branch Committee of Management, at its July meeting, issued a resolution directing McGregor to take the matter to the Federal Court or the Federal Circuit Court should it not be resolved by close of business yesterday (Thursday 3 August 2017). VAHPA believes that this was the deciding factor in resolving the matter.

“The Branch Committee took a real lead on this issue and were prepared to go to any court in the land to see justice done,” said McGregor. “They’re a strong and determined group of AHPs who feel an acute responsibility to the members that elected them. I’m proud to be on BCOM with them,” concluded McGregor.

The Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association (VHIA) has come out hard this week in an attempt to drive a wedge between VAHPA members in the community sector and the membership in the union office. Correspondence sent to Community Health HR departments seeks to   ploy seeks to

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