Public sector mental health workers are to receive fairer pay and improved working conditions under a new in-principle agreement reached with the State Government.
Announced by the Minister for Mental Health, James Merlino, the new enterprise agreement aims to address recruitment and retention gaps identified by the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, provide greater equality for nurses specialising in mental health care and promote gender equity among the workforce.
Mr Merlino said the agreement would also ensure an additional 800 full-time equivalent jobs were added to boost the mental health workforce.
“Under the new deal, mental health nurses will receive a two per cent wage increase each year for the first three years, in line with Government wages policy – plus a 1.5 per cent rise in year four,” he said.
“Victoria’s hardworking mental health nurses will also receive additional amounts to ensure that they are paid at parity with their general nurse counterparts’ wages, helping attract and retain nurses in the mental health sector.
“For all other employees in the sector, there will be an additional increase and retention payments to help with staff retention in line with the recommendations of the Royal Commission.”
Mr Merlino said under the agreement, new positions would be added to address leadership, ongoing education, professional development and to assist with staff retention.
The Minister said other agreement outcomes would help promote gender equity, such as an additional four weeks’ parental leave for primary carers and one week for non-primary carers; superannuation paid on all forms of parental leave; and compassionate leave for those who lost a pregnancy under 20 weeks’ gestation.
He said the new enterprise agreement also developed a career structure for the State’s emerging Lived Experience Workforce.
