Yes. We've provided examples back pay and wage increases for all job classifications in the table below.

All employees engaged at the time the new agreement commences are eligible for backpay. This includes casual staff.

Yes, back-pay is taxed in accordance with the rules of the Australian Tax Office.

Your back-pay will be calculated on all hours worked. This will be backdated to the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2024 which we will pay after the commencement of the new agreement.

Our goal is to get a majority vote in favour as soon as possible so that the backpay will be paid before Christmas. Depending on payroll cutoffs and end of year processing, we will endeavour to pay backpay in a separate pay run.

The 13.55% is the cumulative, or compounded, total of the wage increases. Think about it like compound interest in a bank account. For example, a nurse earning $2,000 per week on 2023 rates, would earn $2,271 per week in 2026 after three wages increases. The difference, $271, is a 13.55% increase on the 2023 rates.

We put our best offer on the table, because we value your contribution and want to provide a wage increase as soon as possible. It is unclear what NSW Health will offer and when their employees will ultimately receive a wage increase.

We have put a market leading offer on the table which we are unable to improve on. Whether or not the public improves its offer and provides a greater increase than we are proposing (which it is unclear that they will) we will not be able to increase ours any further.

It is important that it is understood that the intention of the temporary closedown clause is not to force you to take leave. It is simply to have the flexibility for longer closures of a ward during periods of low activity. As you know, when there is a closure now, you have the option to take annual leave or to be redeployed elsewhere.

The current enterprise agreement limits the period of closure of a ward to two weeks (or three in some hospitals) with a notice period of one month.

When we commenced bargaining, we sought to align the temporary closedown clause in our enterprise agreement to the clause that’s in the modern award (produced by the Fair Work Commission).The modern award clause does not include any cap on the amount of time a facility can be closed.

We've proposed providing a longer notice period (two months) and have engaged in discussions and suggested compromises to cap the length of time a ward can be closed. At the last meeting the NSWNMA rejected the four-week cap.

We're conscious that your pay rise is already overdue because of the delay to bargaining, we want to make sure you get your wage increase and backpay as soon as possible.

There are bargaining meetings planned for 10 and 17 October. We hope to close out any outstanding matters at those meetings and will continue to bargain in good faith. Once those matters have been concluded, Healthscope is ready to move quickly so that you can vote on the new enterprise agreement.

Employees are going to have the opportunity to vote on the enterprise agreement. Your vote is confidential, and nobody will know how you voted. When you vote, you should do so based on what is important to you and your personal circumstances.

If there is a majority “yes” vote, we’ll take the necessary steps to get the enterprise agreement approved by the Fair Work Commission.