Following representation by the Health Services Union, Thompson Health Care has finally agreed to improve your proposed enterprise agreement and protect your current pay rates.

This came after your union strongly argued at the Fair Work Commission that Thompson had not followed the good faith bargaining requirements of the Fair Work Act and that members had been unfairly disadvantaged.

Thompson has now agreed to important changes in your proposed enterprise agreement to ensure your pay rates conditions are protected, including:

• Your current rates of pay have been included in the pay schedule, ensuring that they are protected in the enterprise agreement.
• Improved ‘Afternoon Shift Penalty’, now payable for shifts commencing from 10am, rather than 10:30am.
• Improved protections for part-time aged care employees, ensuring that there will be written agreement on the guaranteed minimum number of hours to be worked, the days of the week and shifts that will be worked and the starting and finishing times each day, prior to commencing employment.
• Clear commitment that where a Home Care Employee is required to have a meal with a client as a part of their work routine, the meal period is to be counted as time worked.
• Guarantee that annual leave loading will be paid on all annual leave taken and not limited to four weeks per year.
• Inserted the new casual conversion provisions from the modern awards.
• Fixed several typos and errors identified by the HSU.

You can find a copy of your proposed enterprise agreement at this link. We encourage everyone to read the agreement carefully and have your say during the voting period.

Voting will take place next week from 8 November to 12 November. If a majority of staff vote ‘yes’, then the agreement will be accepted. If a majority vote ‘no’, the agreement will not be accepted. 

If you have any questions about the proposed agreement, please contact the HSU for further information.

If your colleagues are not yet HSU members, please share this important win with them and encourage them to join the union at www.hsu.asn.au/join or by calling 1300 478 679.