‘Yes’ vote protects pay and annual leave for staff at troubled private hospital operator.

Nurses and midwives at Healthscope, which went into receivership in May, have voted for a new enterprise agreement that locks in pay increases and back pay and protects annual leave. 

More than 80 per cent of eligible staff participated in the ballot, with more than 90 per cent voting ‘Yes’ to the agreement. 

The vote followed long negotiations included industrial action by NSWNMA members in 2024 and 2025. 

Main features of the agreement include a 16 per cent increase to pay and allowances over four years. 

Healthscope has told the NSWNMA that back payments of 5.5 per cent from 1 July 2024 and 4.5 per cent from 1 July 2025 would be made no later than 20 November 2025. 

Existing entitlements including annual leave and payment of overtime for part-time employees are protected under the new agreement. 

The agreement also contains improvements to parental leave and family and domestic violence leave, paid lactation breaks, and improved rights for NSWNMA branch officials. 

A “mammoth effort” by members

Speaking to Healthscope members by video, NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish said the union campaign for a new agreement had taken many twists and turns since it started in early 2024. 

In particular, Healthscope going into receivership “changed the nature of your campaign”. It became focused on protecting back pay, locking in a pay rise and protecting existing entitlements – especially annual leave and accrued entitlements. 

Union pressure via the Fair Work Commission brought Healthscope back to the bargaining table when it seemed the company would not commit to paying back pay in a reasonable time and sought to change annual leave conditions. 

Those changes “would have meant even a member working 50 weekends and three public holidays a year still would not be entitled to six weeks of annual leave,” Shaye said. 

Healthscope dropped its proposed annual leave changes and committed in writing to paying increases and back pay no later than 21 days after a ‘Yes’ vote. 

Shaye described the agreement as “the best to chance to lock in a pay rise, back pay and conditions in these uncertain times”. 

The campaign was “a mammoth effort and it would not have been possible to secure these essential improvements without your unwavering persistence.” 

She said the union will “continue to work as hard as we can, both here in NSW and at the national level with ANMF and the federal government, to protect your jobs and entitlements”. 

Healthscope is reportedly carrying $1.6 billion in debt but the company says its hospitals will operate “as normal” while buyers are found. 

Shaye said the Healthscope campaign “has taught us the importance of being organised and ready to take action”.

Uphold your agreement rights

Healthscope members can help to enforce their rights in the new agreement by strengthening their local branches. This includes: 

• be coming a branch representative/steward for your ward/unit 
• regularly attending your local branch meetings 
• raising issues through your branch and taking them forward collectively 
• talking to your colleagues about joining the Union.