Pay deal done, but nurses furious

A BITTER pay dispute between City Hall and the region’s maternal and child health nurses has abruptly ended.

City of Greater Geelong employees this week voted in favour of a new enterprise agreement, despite staunch opposition from a group of local nurses.

The result signals the end to a dispute that lasted 17 months, and which culminated in protected industrial action at Geelong’s maternal and child health centres.

That action — which involved a ban on administrative tasks — started on June 27 and came as nurses at the centres pushed for new conditions, including a fifth week of annual leave.

More than half of the City’s 2500-plus workers took part in this week’s ballot, with 91 per cent supporting the new agreement.

However, the decision to put the new deal to a vote has angered the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, which has criticised the council for not resolving the disputed issues.

“ANMF and its members are incredibly disappointed the City of Greater Geelong council chose to put its unfair offer out to ballot,” Victoria branch secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said.

“In its own submission to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into peri-natal services, the council acknowledged the increasing complexity of families and the work of its maternal and child health nurses.

“We see this as a missed opportunity to strengthen this important workforce, particularly in the enhanced service and leadership role,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.

Under the three-year deal nurses will receive a 2.1 per cent wage increase in the first year, followed by a 2.3 per cent increase in the following years.

Council’s people and organisational development manager Andrew Keen said the enterprise agreement would now be sent to the Fair Work Commission for approval.