Industrial News: March 2009

The ANF’s industrial team continues working on various industrial issues of interest to members.

Fair Work Bill submission

The ANF recently made a submission to a Senate inquiry into the government’s Fair Work Bill. The laws, currently being considered by Parliament, will replace the WorkChoices laws that were comprehensively rejected by the Australian people in the 2007 election. The ANF submission supports the general approach of the Bill, noting that it improves on the WorkChoices laws in many respects, including the introduction of requirements on employers to bargain in good faith regarding wages and conditions and the introduction of a stream for assisted low-paid bargaining.

The ANF also pointed out several aspects of the Bill which could be improved, including continued restrictions on engaging in multiemployer bargaining, the loss of recognition of service with previous businesses when meeting minimum employment periods to lodge an unfair dismissal claim, and the draconian rules relating to payment for periods of industrial action. The full submission is on the ANF website.

McKesson Asia-Pacific

Despite a strong fight by ANF members, staff at McKesson Asia-Pacific narrowly voted to approve a non-union collective agreement by only 11 votes in mid-December. The agreement covers employees around Australia including nurses employed at McKesson’s nurse-triage call centres known as HealthDirect (or Nurse-on-Call in Victoria). The ANF had been seeking to obtain a union collective agreement in 2008, however McKesson refused to negotiate with the ANF. The ANF Victoria branch has written to the Workplace Authority querying whether the terms and conditions contained in the agreement may be worse than those contained in minimum award conditions.

Award modernisation

A strong campaign by the ANF to retain nursing as an occupational award has been vindicated by a decision of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) to release a draft Nurses Occupational Award. The award covers nurses working in all healthcare settings except school nurses. The decision continues the important principle of nursing being based on skill and educational qualifications rather than the employment setting. Interested parties are currently providing comments on the draft award and other draft health industry awards. The AIRC is expected to make its final decision on the scope and content of awards in April.

The ANF may need members support in retaining nursing award coverage for nurses working in the aged care sector. Check the website for updates on this issue.

Andrew McCarthy
ANF Federal Industrial Officer