Circular details

WA Health – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2013

The WA Health – Australian Nursing Federation – Registered Nurses, Midwives, Enrolled (Mental Health) and Enrolled (Mothercraft) Nurses – Industrial Agreement 2013(Agreement) was registered by the WA Industrial Relations Commission on 16 October 2014.  

In summary, the Agreement includes:

• Salary increases of 5% from 1 July 2013, 4% from 1 July 2014 and 5% from 1 July 2015.

• A new Lead Apron Allowance of $2.00 per hour (or part thereof) for a nurse required to wear a lead apron.

• A new Authorised Mental Health Practitioner Allowance equal to the Level 1 qualifications allowance to be paid to a nurse appointed as an Authorised Mental Health Practitioner.  The allowance will cease to be paid when the nurse’s appointment as an Authorised Mental Health Practitioner ceases.

• Part time employees working 41 hours or more per fortnight are entitled to Accrued Days Off (ADOs) on the same basis as full time employees. The contracted hours of existing part time employees who elect to accrue ADOs will not be increased.  An existing employee who elects to accrue ADOs will be paid for less hours and accrue those additional hours towards their ADO entitlement.  For example:

• • A part time employee contracted to work 64 hours per fortnight will be paid 60.8 hours and 3.2 hours will be banked as ADOs.

• • The election of whether to accrue or forgo the entitlement of ADOs will decide whether an employee is paid for 64 or 60.8 hours per fortnight.

• A casual employee who is rostered on call and recalled to duty is entitled to receive the same overtime provisions as a full time employee.  The casual loading will be absorbed into the applicable overtime rate.

• A Senior Registered Nurse rostered to carry a pager or mobile phone during a rostered 30 minute meal break who is rostered to remain on the hospital site during the meal break and whose meal breaks are regularly interrupted by calls to return to the ward, may elect to be paid a Commuted Meal Break Allowance of 30 minutes pay at ordinary rates plus the applicable penalty rates.

• Employees are able to access pro rata long service leave during the first accrual period any time after the completion of seven years’ continuous service.  An employee is not entitled to payment in lieu of taking the pro rata long service leave. The payment for pro rata long service on termination of employment is limited to the specific circumstances set out in clause 32(11).

• Where an Employer refuses an employee’s request to participate in a purchased leave or deferred salary scheme or the time at which such leave may be taken, the employee will be notified in writing of the reasons for the refusal.

• All applications for professional development leave must be made in advance and in the form prescribed by the Employer.

• An Industry Consultative Committee will be established to consider policy standardisation, graduate nursing and housing.

• Future parking fees at Category A hospitals will be increased on 1 July 2015 in line with the Consumer Price Index for Perth (All Groups) in the March quarter.

Copies of the industrial instruments referred to in this circular can also be accessed at http://www.health.wa.gov.au/awardsandagreements/

Any queries regarding this circular can be sent to industrial.relations@health.wa.gov.au

Marshall Warner
DIRECTOR
HEALTH INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS SERVICE