Your Vote and Your Pay Rise
Ballots are starting to arrive from Queensland Health so that you can have your say on your collective agreement.
This is the agreement about your wages and conditions that union members took action to secure throughout 2010. A copy of the agreement can be found HERE.
There has been an unprecedented delay in this ballot process from Queensland Health due to a hold up by Q-Health negotiators who attempted to renege on the deal with union members struck last year several times earlier this year. These attempts were unsuccessful and the hard fought and won gains for HP members were maintained. Your HP Steering Committee delegates ensured that no conditions were eroded and successfully held the line with Health based on the agreement struck with the Treasurer in late December 2010.
Thousands of HPs in 2010 took industrial action including a one day strike on the first of December 2010 to move the offer from Queensland Health for your agreement from 2.5% a year and cuts to conditions to the offer now being balloted for 3% a year, no cuts to conditions, improvements to student supervision allowances for psychologists, treatment rooms for social workers and other matters. See HERE for a full offer update on your union campaign website.
HP's were the first group of workers in Australia to break the national agreement state government Ministers had made to offer only 2.5% a year as a wage rise to public sector workers. This was a huge achievement by HPs and a testament to the great work of union members and delegates and a very strong campaign by everyone involved. It was only because you were stronger together as a union group that you forced the government and Queensland Health to move.
Your HP Stronger Together delegates recommend you vote in this important ballot and have your say! This offer was endorsed by union members in December last year and was a great win after a big campaign.
What happens next?
- Vote! Remember to vote in your HP Agreement ballot and return your papers to Queensland Health.
If the ballot result is YES then the agreement will be certified by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. After the Agreement is certified then back-pay - finally! - for HP workers this is 3% to be back-paid to 1 September 2010 and other matters in the Agreement can then be progressed.
If the ballot result is NO negotiations must recommence. This would mean re-negotiating the entire package as all matters would be "back on the table" and industrial action would need to recommence. The back-pay date to 1 September 2010 would also most likely be jeopardized and any future wage rises would be back-dated only to the date of a future negotiated outcome comes in to place.
For more information please check out our historic updates from the 2010 campaign at your campaign website HERE or email HP@Qpsu.org.au.
Finally - vote! This is your agreement, a huge congratulations to all members who contributed to a great campaign to shift a government wages policy and ensure that vital conducive for HPs were not eroded.
Your HP Stronger Together Steering Committee delegates recommend this Agreement to you.
In union,
Your HP Stronger Together Team
PS: If you know someone who is an HP and not yet a member ensure that you alert them about this shift in wages and conditions that was won by you as a union member and remind them to join you as a union member. It is only union members who contribute to furthering the wages and conditions of all HP workers! To join go to www.hpstrongertogether.com
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