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Consultation and Ballot Process

Consultation Process | Ballot process | Certification of the Agreement

On 1 June 2009, an in-principle agreement was reached for a proposed new agreement covering nurses and midwives. The agreement is titled the Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB7) 2009.

Consultation process

In accordance with the Industrial Relations Act 1999 Queensland Health is required to conduct a consultation process to ensure staff covered by the proposed agreement understand how the agreement will affect them. 

There are a number of options available to assist you in understanding how this agreement will affect you:

1. Participate in an information session where you will have an opportunity to ask questions about the proposed agreement. Contact your local Human Resources unit to find out when these consultation sessions are being conducted at your site or facility.
   
2. If you have questions and are unable to attend a consultation session due to leave or any other reason, or you wish to obtain a full copy or summary of the agreement, or any other relevant information, you can access the enterprise bargaining internet and intranet site http://www.health.qld.gov.au/eb/.
   
3. Contact the Human Resources Branch corporate office, via the:
   
   

   	Enterprise Bargaining Hotline number 1800 257 540
   	Enterprise Bargaining email address nursingIBB@health.qld.gov.au

   
   
4. Contact your local Human Resources unit directly for further information.
   
5. Speak with your union.

Ballot process

Following the consultation process, Queensland Health is required to determine whether a valid majority of employees, whose employment will be subject to the proposed agreement, genuinely approve the agreement. Consequently, a ballot will be held of all staff to be covered by the agreement, whether they are a member of a union or not.

Workplace Consulting Queensland (WCQ), a unit within the Public Sector Industrial and Employee Relations Division of Justice and Attorney General has been engaged by Queensland Health to conduct the ballot. WCQ will send to staff a ballot paper, instructions and a reply paid envelope to enable you to vote. It is important that you exercise your right to vote so the outcome is a true reflection of the views of a majority of staff covered by the agreement.
The ballot will commence Monday 22 June 2009 and concluded first mail on 13 July 2009, with the results of the ballot likely to be known on 14 July 2009.

Certification of the Agreement

In the event a majority of staff who vote during the ballot support the prosed agreement, application will be made to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission to certify the agreement. It is anticipated that such an application could be made by the end of July 2009.

Should a majority vote not be achieved, negotiations between Queensland Health and relevant unions will continue.