Health workers win pay rise
By Kim Linden
MELBOURNE — Victorian health workers have won a pay rise after two weeks of industrial action. The deal includes a 5% wage rise backdated to July 1, a further 1% to be paid from February 1 and a further 2% productivity increase from July 1, 1996.
The deal also enables the Health Services Union of Australia (HSUA) to apply for a 3% safety net increase under the federal government's Accord Mark VIII.
The deal was negotiated between the state government and the HSUA, and overseen by the federal Industrial Relations Commission. It does not differ substantially from a state government offer, made during the first week of the industrial campaign, of a 5% rise with a further 3% with productivity gains.
Last month, the state government refused to negotiate with the HSUA over its 14% pay claim. However, strike action and industrial bans forced it to go to the IRC on August 6, where negotiations took place in a closed session.
On August 7 both parties claimed victory. With the bans lifted during the IRC meeting by the union leadership, most health workers returned to work on August 7.
On August 9, around 4000 health workers attended a stop-work meeting assuming that they were to vote on the deal and the lifting of the bans.
Instead, Jan Armstrong, state secretary of the HSUA, told workers that the state government had reneged on parts of the deal; it had refused to backdate the first stage of the claim to include the last two weeks of June and to recognise that the extra 3% safety net was part of the deal.
Angry workers made it clear they would support further industrial action to obtain the pay claim and spoke in favour of a strong campaign with the support of other unions.
The mood was summed up when a woman from the central sterilising department at Preston and Northcote Community Hospital said she felt alone in her efforts to enforce bans at the hospital, and several workers replied with a resounding, "No, you're not alone!".
A motion for an immediate 24-hour strike and for further industrial bans to follow was passed unanimously. The state government was forced back to the IRC. On August 11, the IRC directed HSUA members to call off the bans.
The state government has threatened to amend industrial legislation to prevent unions from undertaking industrial bans. If this happens, the government can expect a fight from unions.
The HSUA has called a stop-work meeting for August 17 at 11am at Dallas Brooks Hall to endorse the pay deal and the lifting of the bans.