| Member meeting notice: public sector EA
HSU Public Sector members recently received an email outlining a proposal put to State Government to put negotiations for your new EBA on hold, to allow workers to focus on the lifesaving work they are doing as part of the frontline response to COVID-19 rather than on fighting for their conditions. The HSU has also proposed measures to support workers at this time as they are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19, and argue that administrative payments should be made to offset any financial loss from delaying an EBA pay rise. You can read the full proposal here.
Now, we want to hear from members on how you want negotiations to proceed- we need to be prepared that the Government may reject our proposal and push ahead with negotiations. Members are encouraged to come along to Zoom Webinars at the following times and to bring along your colleagues who aren’t yet members.
SALHN: Friday, May 15th, 12.30-1.30 pm
CALHN: Monday, May 18th, 12.30-1.30 pm
NALHN: Tuesday, May 19th, 12.30-1.30 pm
Shared Services: Wednesday, May 20th, 12.30-1.30 pm
Keep an eye out for registration details coming soon, and please talk to your co-workers about the Webinars- and if your co-workers aren’t yet HSU members, encourage them to sign up here.
SAMI to stay public!
Just weeks after the announcement that SA Pathology will remain in public hands, the South Australian Government has also confirmed that SA Medical Imaging will not be privatised!
Once again, we welcome the announcement that essential health services will remain in public ownership- vital public services should serve the public, not run for the profit of shareholders.
For comments on the announcement by HSU National Secretary Lloyd Williams, see our media release on our website here.
Union Women resources and events
We know that women are disproportionately affected by unjust workplace practices, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities at work and in the community.
Check check out upcoming webinars on gendered and family violence and the impacts of COVID-19 on these issues here.
For further reading on the gendered impacts of COVID-19, have a read of articles by BroadAgenda, Women’s Agenda, and The New Daily.
ACTU pushes for paid pandemic leave for all workers
The Australian Union movement has called for measures to support all workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, putting it on the Federal and State Governments to implement:
- Paid pandemic leave;
- Pandemic Work Health & Safety Regulation; and
- Disease notification requirements to extend to H&S regulators.
This is similar to calls already made by the HSU for up to two weeks leave for any worker required to self-isolate (for example while waiting for test results to be confirmed) and unlimited paid leave for any worker who has Covid-19, until such a time that they have medical clearance to return to work.
JobKeeper
HSU members at some private sector companies are starting to receive JobKeeper payments, so we once again want to highlight the JobKeeper fact sheet sent to members in a previous bulletin (found here). Please share this with your co-workers, and remember to get in touch if you have any questions- ideally before you respond to a request your employer has made of you.
Despite the extraordinary circumstances, we find ourselves in, and the changes implemented to the Fair Work Act under JobKeeper to enable employers to be responsive to business downturns caused by Covid-19, most of your entitlements remain the same. Your employer may make certain requests of you, such as asking you to take leave (in certain circumstances), but your rights at work still need to be upheld.
If you have any questions or concerns, make sure to get in touch at info@hsusant.org.au
As always, In Union. |
