From the Secretary

ACTPS HPEA update – voting to restart!

Dear Member,

The ACTPS has notified the HSU that due to an admin error by the AEC, the voting for the Health Professional Enterprise Agreement must restart. The new voting period commenced YESTERDAY (23 April) and concludes at 4pm on 3 May.

This is your final opportunity to have your say in the bargaining process!

On the employee intranet you can see a copy of the proposed agreement and explanatory notes on the changes. In case you have not received them, the following documents are linked below:

What is the pay offer?

The pay offer for all employees includes a combination of flat dollar increases and percentage increases. These increases and the effective dates are:

  • $1,750 flat rate increase in the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2023.
  • 1% from the commencement of the first full pay period on or after 1 June 2023.
  • $1,750 flat rate increase in the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2023.
  • 5% from the commencement of the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2024 and $1,500 flat rate increase.
  • 1% from the commencement of the first full pay period on or after 1 June 2025.
  • 1% from the commencement of the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2025 and $1,000 flat rate increase.

In the simplest terms this means the lower your current salary, the higher your percentage increase will be.
There are also the following increases to superannuation:

  • .5% on 1 July 2025
  • .5% on 1 January 2026

Lastly, the government has included a one-time ‘cost of living supplement’ of $1,250 which will be paid to eligible employees following the successful voting up of the agreement. This will be paid in full to full-time employees. Part-time and casual employees who work less than 0.5 FTE will only receive a pro-rata amount.

 What are the benefits to this Agreement?

Because of the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic there has been no significant change to your agreements since 2018!

This means there are some positive changes being introduced as part of this EA:

  • Increasing birthing leave from 18 weeks to 24 weeks effective from 01 January 2023. Those who are or were on birthing leave on or after 1 January 2023, will be entitled to receive back pay.

  • Classifications which require a Radiation Licence can now have this cost reimbursed to them.

  • Broadbands can now be introduced over the life of the agreement rather than only during bargaining. There is also a commitment to review Health Professional Classifications with the goal of introducing broadbands to encourage career progression.

  • Former Calvary staff members will receive some protections to their existing employment arrangements consistent with the government’s commitment during negotiations. These can be found under clause Q19 of the agreement.

  • CHS has committed to reviewing the Radiation Therapist Attraction and Retention Incentive following the outcome of the Queensland work value review.

What are the downsides to the agreement?

Downsides to this agreement are mostly about the pay, including:

The pay offer does not match CPI, so you are essentially getting a pay cut.

Additionally:

  • The pay offer is not backdated to 2022 so this means you only received one pay increase in 2022 unlike the normally scheduled two increases.
  • The flat increases mean most employees do not know what their percentage pay increase will be and does not address cost of living pressures for members in higher classifications.

How do you vote?

All eligible employees should have received an email explaining the voting process. If you did not receive this, we encourage our members to contact the HSU as soon as possible by emailing [E-Mail not displayed]. 

We encourage all members to vote and have their say!

Do you know someone who isn’t an HSU member? Encourage them to join our Union today and have a say at work. We are always stronger when we stand together.

New members can join at www.hsu.asn.au/join or call 1300 478 679.

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