Ahpra’s initial response to claims disappointing
Disappointment was the general response from union delegates and bargaining reps at Ahpra’s first response to the claims put forward on behalf of staff.
At bargaining on 5 March, Ahpra tabled a document outlining their initial response to your claims. The document did not include any detailed offer. Instead, it indicated areas that may appear in Ahpra’s eventual offer and others the employer is rejecting outright.
You can access a copy of the document and our initial reactions HERE.
Our disappointment has a number of drivers:
1.At the opening bargaining meeting, the CEO indicated Ahpra intended to approach this round of bargaining differently. Their initial response, however, closely resembles approaches taken in previous bargaining rounds.
2.Many claims were rejected with little regard for the time and thought that staff put into
developing them. Reasons included:
the claim had been raised and rejected in previous bargaining;
the issue is covered by policy and therefore doesn’t need to be included in the EA;
current provisions are already “generous” in Ahpra’s view so don’t need improvement;
Ahpra is already above the minimum standard required, so don’t need to go further.
3.Issues raised by members that are both widely and deeply felt were dismissed as not being real problems. Principal among these was Ahpra’s view that staff don’t have workload problems and that there are no recruitment or retention issues. This is completely at odds with the feedback we have received from staff. Proposals to improve workload management were rejected and no alternative solutions offered.
We want to hear directly from you
Do you face workload pressures in your role?
Are there vacancies in your team?
Is turnover affecting your workplace?
Share your experience by completing the short survey, which can be found HERE
Join today and have your voice heard!
It’s a simple equation: the stronger our union membership, the stronger our bargaining position. Now is not the time to sit on the fence to see what the bargaining team can achieve. Now is the time to join your colleagues in a union and work with us to secure the best possible outcome for Ahpra workers.
Ahpra to reveal offer at next meeting
Despite our initial disappointment, we look forward to the next meeting on 19 March when we expect Ahpra will reveal what is in their offer. The CEO told us that their first offer would be a realistic one and not a lowball offer. We hope it meets that expectation.
Authorised by Stewart Little (CPSU-SPSF Group), 160 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000; Annie Butler (ANMF), 1/365 Queen Street, Melbourne VIC 3000; and Alex Scott (Together Queensland), Level 4, 43 Peel Street, South Brisbane QLD 4101.
