Public sector nurses and midwives have suspended industrial action following a new pay and conditions offer from the South Australian State Government that puts them on track to be among “the best paid in the nation”. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation is seeking a 2.5 per cent pay increase per year over three years, extra incentives added to voluntary separation packages, paid overtime, extra professional development, new staffing structures and new classification structures. Nurses have been holding low key industrial action in pursuit of the claims including working to rule, after their previous enterprise bargaining agreement expired on September 1.
October 3, 2016
The daughter of an elderly woman murdered at a Newcastle aged care facility has called for better video surveillance in nursing homes. On Wednesday, 29-year-old Garry Steven Davis was found guilty of murdering residents Gwen Fowler, 83, and Ryan Kelly, 80, in 2013. Ms Fowler was injected with a large dose of insulin she did not need. Her eldest daughter Gail said she hoped the tragedy would lead to improved monitoring of elderly patients. “It’s a bit like the one where the [Quakers Hill] nursing home was burnt down,” she said. “I believe that they made sure that there should be smoke detectors in nursing homes and they gave them a certain amount of time to do that. So hopefully CCTV cameras will be installed because they should be in many more places.”
October 3, 2016
Victoria Legal Aid and the CPSU (the Community and Public Sector Union) are contesting s.576(2)(aa) (Promoting cooperative and productive workplace relations and preventing disputes)
October 3, 2016
Queensland hospitals could “grind to a halt” as a result of industrial action unless support staff get a better deal, a public servants’ union says. Together secretary Alex Scott said on Friday the union had already lodged for industrial action ballots to happen in Townsville and Rockhampton after talks stalled on a new collective bargaining agreement. He said further applications for ballots in large parts of the state’s southeast corner, as well as Cairns and Mackay, would likely be made in coming days. Job security, manageable workloads and budget transparency were the union’s key concerns after Queensland Health made a “disrespectful offer” for workers, he said.
October 3, 2016
An application for approval of the Waikerie Community Senior Citizens Home Inc Nursing Employees Enterprise Agreement 2016 s.185 – (Application for approval of a single-enterprise agreement) will be heard by Commissioner Cirkovic in his Melbourne chambers today.
October 3, 2016
A woman whose partner died after being given too much morphine is suing a Brisbane hospital and doctor for $5 million. Michael Calder, 33, died in the Holy Spirit Northside Private Hospital at Chermside on July 11, 2014 after being treated for viral meningitis and repeatedly complaining of severe headaches. His partner, Andrea Young, this week filed a statement of claim in the Supreme Court seeking damages from the hospital and treating doctor, Rodd Brockett, over the death.
September 29, 2016
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia Central Operations are embroiled in a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) before Commissioner Platt in Conference Room 6a – Level 6 in Adelaide.
September 29, 2016
Mosaic Support Services is being challenged by a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) initiated by ex-staffer Rattue.
