They are campaigning for improved entitlements, working conditions, workloads and enforceable nursing staffing levels.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Victorian branch has been negotiating a new enterprise agreement on behalf of public sector mental health nurses with the Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association and the Department of Health since July 2024.
Stage one protected industrial action includes: wearing red ANMF campaign t-shirts, refusal to be redeployed, a ban on overtime, stopping work briefly to talk to consumers, clients, patients, their families and the media and to post on social media about their campaign and administrative bans.
“Mental health nurses are taking protected industrial action as a last resort because the employers and Victorian Government need to progress negotiations and address our members’ reasonable claims for parity with general nurses and specific mental health nurse claims,” ANMF assistant secretary Madeleine Harradence said.
“We reassure consumers, clients and patients that there will be no risk to their health, safety and welfare.
“There may be some disruptions while mental health nurses campaign to provide improved care, and for this we apologise.”
Victorian public sector general nurses and mental health nurses are employed under different enterprise agreements.
ANMF members employed under the 2024-28 public sector nurses and midwives agreement last year achieved a pay increase of 28.4 per cent (compounded) over the life of their four-year agreement, plus more than 70 improvements including new and improved allowances.
ANMF mental health nurse members, employed under the Victorian public sector mental health services enterprise agreement, are seeking parity with public sector general nurses’ wages, entitlements and relevant conditions.
They also have specific claims to improve workloads and minimum nursing staffing profiles in bed-based mental health services, as well as provisions to protect and grow the nursing workforce in community mental health teams.
ANMF members rejected the Victorian Government’s offer made in December.
While this offer included a 28.4 per cent uplift from current rates over the life of the agreement for mental health registered and enrolled nurses, it did not include claims for 45 improvements achieved in the public sector nurses and midwives enterprise agreement.
These are designed to incentivise a permanent mental health nursing workforce and include: improved qualification allowance, improved night shift penalties for permanent nurses and midwives, improved on-call and re-call allowances, improved access to flexible working arrangements and improved access to parental leave.
The offer also failed to address 25 mental health-specific claims to ensure the community has access to mental health nurses.
“Mental health nurses are exhausted from the constant requests to work double shifts and overtime to fill the shortfall in rosters,” Ms Harradence said.
“The Victorian Government needs to retain and grow its experienced and early career mental health nursing workforce to be able to implement the significant reforms under way in our public sector mental health services.
“ANMF mental health nurse members are taking action because they want employers and the Victorian Government to address the widespread high turnover and poor retention in mental health.
“They’re also sending a strong message to employers and the government that they are not worth less than a nurse working on a medical or surgical ward.”
ANMF is looking for appropriate and senior government representatives to be made urgently available for intensive negotiations for as long as required to resolve the new enterprise agreement.
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