Blue Care Qld sets the benchmark for wages
Blue Care will raise wages for nursing staff by 18% over the next three years, a move welcomed by the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU).
The increase is part of the latest Blue Care QNU Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) covering registered nurses, enrolled nurses and assistant nurses.
Blue Care executive director, Stephen Muggleton, said the agreement ensured Blue Care remained an industry leader in regards to pay and conditions for its staff.
“It’s deserved recognition for the dedication, professionalism and care our nurses provide every day of the year,” Mr Muggleton said.
“To demonstrate our commitment to rewarding staff, the first pay rise was given in May and paid back to 1 January, so staff did not have to wait for the agreement to be ratified.”
Blue Care and the QNU together signed the EBA in the last week of July, after 10 months of negotiations and 96% of nursing staff voting in favor of it.
To improve workplace conditions, the agreement has introduced a practical workload management tool to assist in managing the amount and causes of workload pressures.
The paid long service leave entitlement will increase from 10 weeks to 12 weeks after 10 years of service, sick leave will be paid out on termination of employment, and nurses will be able to cash out a proportion of their annual leave.
There will also be bereavement leave for same sex partners.
“We are focused on being the employer of choice in the aged care sector, and with help from the QNU we have worked on improving and updating the existing EBA, to deliver the best possible pay and conditions to attract nursing staff into the future,” Mr Muggleton said.
