EmailHospital Circular 39/2004
Date Issued: 14 December 2004
Distribution: Chief Executive Officers; Chief Finance Officers; HR Directors
Enquiries: Industrial Relations Branch Tel (03) 9616 2549
Subject: Funding and Payment of 2004 Medical Scientists, Pharmacists & Related Designations EBA
In late May of this year, the Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association (VHIA), on behalf of its members, and the Department reached an “in-principle” settlement of the Health Services Union of Australia Victoria No.4 Branch’s 2004 Bargaining Claims. Since that time, the parties have finalised an enterprise bargaining agreements (EBA) for certification in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), encapsulating the matters settled in principle in May.
The final agreement has been sighted by Commissioner Cribb of the AIRC who has encouraged employers and the unions to move it forward to certification and implementation expeditiously. [The VHIA has issued a bulletin to its members (Bulletin 893) which is accompanied by copies of the Agreement, heads of agreement, individualised statutory declarations, guidelines for employers, a statutory declarations witness list, and the Commissioner’s Statement.]
Both the VHIA and the HSUA 4 have circulated the final agreement to their respective members for a staff ballot and then an application to the AIRC to certify the agreement. Certification is expected to occur in late December 2004.
The Department has already made various adjustments to health services budgets from 1 July 2004 relating to the medical scientists’ EBA. Further adjustments have been made recently in the ‘November/December Payment Adjustments’ for funding the implementation of the medical scientists’ settlement. The program specific arrangements for the funding of medical scientists’ EBA is as follows:
HSUA 4 Medical Scientists, Pharmacists & Related Designations Agreement |
|
Program |
Current Funding Status |
|---|---|
Acute/Sub-Acute |
All 2004/05 funding for salary increases and conditions matters incorporated in budgets. 2003/04 arrears will be paid in the first payment run in October. |
Aged Care |
A contribution to the EBA was incorporated in the Price Escalation funding of 2.25%, applied to agency budgets in July 2004. Supplementation towards the 1 April and 1 October 2004 increases of 3% was paid during the November/December Payment Adjustments for the HSUA#4 EBA. The increases were paid to hospitals, and stand-alone CHCs. The arrears payment for the 1 April increase of 3% for the three months to June 2004 was paid to hospitals in September as part of a single DHS payment for the ANF, HSUA # 4 and HSUA#3 EBAs for all programs. |
Primary Health |
A contribution to the EBAs was incorporated in the Price Escalation funding of 2.25%, applied to agency budgets in July 2004. Supplementation towards the 1 April and 1 October 2004 increases of 3% was paid during the November/December Payment Adjustments for the HSUA#4 EBA. The increases were paid to hospitals, and stand-alone CHCs. The arrears payment for the 1 April increase of 3% for the three months to June 2004 was paid to hospitals in September as part of a single DHS payment for the ANF, HSUA #4 and HSUA#3 EBAs for all programs. Arrears payments for CHCs and consortia associated with hospitals were paid as part of the November/December Payment Adjustments. |
Public Health |
Price Escalation and EBA Supplementation was paid during the November/December Payment Adjustments for HSUA#4 EBA. The increases were paid to hospitals and some NGOs. |
Small Rural Services |
A contribution to the EBAs was incorporated in the Price Escalation funding of 2.25%, applied to agency budgets in July 2004. Supplementation towards the 1 April and 1 October 2004 increases of 3% was paid during the November/December Payment Adjustments for the HSUA#4 EBA. The increases were paid to Small Rural Health Services that use medical scientists or related designations in their services. The arrears payment for the 1 April increase of 3% for the three months to June 2004 was paid to hospitals in September as part of a single DHS payment for the ANF, HSUA #4 and HSUA#3 EBAs for all programs. |
Health services that are lodging their HSUA 4 agreement in the AIRC next weekare advised that payment of the salary increases and other new benefits should be passed on to all affected medical scientists in the next available pay period, with arrears being calculated and paid as soon possible after that. Other health services that lodge their agreement with the AIRC at a later date should pay the agreement’s increases on the next available pay period after lodgement. This applies to medical scientists, pharmacists & related designations in all program areas.
Please note that the advice in this circular authorising payment of recent EBA settlement outcomes pertains only to the medical scientists, pharmacists and related designations EBA and only to the medical scientists, pharmacists and related designations employed by public health services entering into an enterprise agreement with HSUA 4.
Lance Wallace
Executive Director
Financial and Corporate Services
