Summary of key AMA Victoria member representation
The AMA Victoria Workplace & Advocacy Unit takes dozens of member calls each day, each with their own nuance requiring specialised advice and support but not always requiring advocacy/negotiating services. The following highlights examples of our work for DiT Members in the past month:
- Performance or Discipline Proceeding representation (three separate occasions)
- Protection of Parental Leave entitlements
- Negotiations to recognise Higher Duty eligibility (when on rotation)
- Enforcement of Registrar free from service Training Time
- Managing unreasonable overpayment recovery (two separate occasions)
- APHRA Registration issues (two separate occasions)
- Negotiations to back-pay all 2011 rotation DiTs wrongly charged for utilities
- IMG employment contract/Registration issues (three separate occasions)
- Requiring DiT re-classification (two separate occasions)
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Alfred Health: industrial disputes before the federal tribunal
We have two disputes notified against Alfred Health before the federal workplace tribunal, Fair Work Australia. On 17 October, Justice Kaufman will begin arbitration, to hear our dispute that alleges that Alfred Health cannot stop rotation DiTs from salary packaging when rotated to Mildura and cannot undermine rotation DiTs access to their rotation entitlements (i.e. subsidised board and lodging, travel allowances and secondment allowance). Read more about rotation entitlements in the DiT Agreement (PDF), at page 13.
After the Alfred Health Resident Society vote to authorise, we have also notified the tribunal of a dispute alleging Alfred Health has implemented a non-compliant Unrostered Overtime Policy. Particularly, the AMA DiT Agreement 2008-2012 prohibits DiTs from being required to gain retrospective signature authorisation where authorisation could not be authorised in advance. Overtime is automatically paid if the time worked was for patient need. Read more about overtime rules in the FAQ section in the DiT Agreement (PDF), at page 6.
Rural rotation meetings
Having conducted Resident Society AMA Victoria lunch meetings at nearly every metropolitan campus, Andrew Lewis, Senior IR Adviser, is now concluding site visits at every DiT rural rotation hospital. These rural meetings are vital to ensure your professional association maintains good relations with hospital administration and to ensure members feel supported despite their remote location and high workloads. From October, AMA Victoria will conduct a second round of metropolitan Resident Society Meetings to begin member consultation on our 2012 enterprise bargaining log of claims.
AMA Victoria visited a number of rural hospitals during September: Warragul, Traralgon, Sale, Bairnsdale, Wangaratta, Wodonga (over three days) and then Shepparton, Echuca, Swan Hill, Horsham, Ballarat, Hamilton, Warrnambool (over four days – we have already conducted two meetings in Mildura this year).
Workplace bullying
Bullying and other inappropriate conduct in the workplace is a major issue of concern for AMA Victoria. We continue to receive requests for support and advice from members experiencing workplace bullying. Unfortunately some have come to us in highly distressed states, having not realised that their professional association was available to them at an earlier stage. Many are relieved to discover they are not the only one experiencing this. In our September edition of vicdoc we have an article on workplace bullying, called ‘Why bullying must stop’, at page 18, as well as stories on violence in emergency departments and preventive health.
Help is also available in the form of confidential doctor-to-doctor support, through the Peer Support Service, on 1300 853 338.
Workplace relations forum
Come along to AMA Victoria's Workplace Relations Forum at 6.30pm on Tuesday 20 September and learn from our expert speakers about the causes and impact of bullying, and the consequences of this kind of behaviour, from both the clinical and legal perspectives. Find out what strategies you can use, how to conduct yourself professionally and how to protect yourself without jeopardising your career. Register online to secure your place. Be quick, places are limited!
Want an iPad 2?
This is a quick reminder that the 2011 AMA Safe Hours Audit of junior and salaried doctors is about to finish. Just tell us, in detail, about the week of 8-14 August and a little bit about the week immediately preceding and following to complete the Audit. Once complete, you will be able to access an instant individual risk assessment report, which shows an analysis of the fatigue risks of your roster. Everyone who completes the audit will also go into the draw to win an iPad2. Results will be published in a nation-wide report on the working hours of junior and salaried doctors. Look out for it!
Final year medical students: find out the truth about internship!
AMA Victoria’s Doctors in Training Subdivision presents the final Mythbusters forum for the year, on 19 September at AMA House. This is your last chance to get the real deal on internship, from our panel of doctors, in a frank Q&A session. Register online to secure your place. Be quick, places are limited!
Refugee health education program: get involved
Education & Professional Development Officer for AMA DiT Subdivision, Dr Linny Kimly Phuong has been managing a refugee health education program, which currently targets migrant/refugee groups serviced by the Ecumenical Migration Centre at the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre. The program is entirely voluntary, and aims to deliver culturally appropriate, interactive health information sessions to refugee groups under the guidance of junior doctors and bilingual community leaders within the groups.
The project aims to empower migrant and refugee groups to take greater responsibility for their own health, ask questions around health issues and feel more comfortable when seeing Western society doctors. A successful pilot session has been run with the Ethiopian Community Group, around discussion of general nutrition information. There are many more groups awaiting input from junior doctors, including the Ogaden and Oromo women, and the South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre.
Interested in getting involved? Junior doctors are asked to attend a pre-AMA DiT session at AMA House on Wednesday 14 September at 6pm to register your interest and find out more information.
Upcoming events and meetings
Wednesday 14 September: Retired Doctors’ Lunch and Tour: Climate change
Monday 19 September: Mythbusters – Internship: surviving and thriving
Thursday 15 September: Eastern Subdivision, Amora Hotel Riverwalk, 649 Bridge Road, Richmond
Monday 19 September: Mallee Subdivision, Rendezvous Restaurant, 34 Langtree Avenue, Mildura
Tuesday 20 September: Workplace Relations Forum
Thursday 22 September: Peninsula Subdivision, Harba Oyster Bar & Grill, 786 The Esplanade, Mornington
Friday 30 September: Psychiatric Essentials Seminar
Next DiT subdivision meeting
Like the The next DiT Subdivision meeting will be held on Wednesday 14 September, at AMA House, from 7pm. All DiT members are welcome to attend. Come along for free pizza and drinks and to hear about what's happening for DiTs across the state. Please email David Kelly at davidk@amavic.com.au or contact him at 03 9280 8722 for more information and to register your attendance.
To download a copy of the agenda please click here.
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