Health Workforce policy

General
Date: September 2005

Introduction

Australia's reputation as having one of the best health systems in the world is largely due to the quality and dedication of the workforce. The highest priority should be given to ensuring that workforce is appropriately trained and resourced and sufficient numbers are employed in all areas.

1. Minimum Staffing Levels

The HSU supports minimum staffing levels which are regulated and maintained to guarantee the safe provision of care and safe workloads. Political parties should be lobbied for and the union will campaign for a recruitment and retention plan that will address the serious staffing shortages in areas of the workforce including allied health.

2. Privatisation

The union opposes the further privatisation, outsourcing or contracting out of public health services. This includes the introduction of public private partnerships which have no place in the delivery of health services.

3. Pay and Working Conditions

The HSU is committed to pursuing parity in pay and working conditions for all workers within all sectors of the health industry within Australia.

The use of Australian Workplace Agreements as an alternative to collective agreements involving unions and employers is totally opposed.

The HSU is committed to pursuing reasonable hours of work and proper rostering systems to ensure that all workers in the health sector can fulfil their personal, family and professional objectives.

The HSU is committed to promoting industrially and through the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, a stable workforce of permanent full-time and part-time employees and to ensure that where casual labour is required, such workers receive wages and working conditions commensurate with permanent workers, plus a loading which acknowledges the casual nature of their employment.

4. Workforce Planning

The HSU supports continued union involvement in comprehensive health workforce planning. In light of the COAG decision of 25 June 2004, to commission research on the demand for medical professionals in the coming decade, HSU advocates the establishment of a national review of supply and demand of the entire health workforce over the next decade.

5. Lobbying

The HSU will continue to campaign and lobby political parties to address:

(a) The provision of an appropriate number of health workers educated and trained to meet the growing needs of the Health Industry;

(b) Sufficient funding of universities and TAFEs including scholarships and studentships to provide the necessary places for the education and training of health workers essential for the development of a highly skilled and well remunerated workforce;

(c) Career paths that assist with staff recruitment and retention;

(d) Physical working conditions that provide high quality, well equipped, safe working environments;

(e) Collection of workforce datasets to map progress and;

(f) Appropriate leadership with industrial relations and human resource management training and experience to drive improvement.

6. Health and Safety

All possible action should be taken to improve workplace health and safety standards for all health workers.

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© 2003 Health Services Union (HSU)
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