AHP AHA Separate Agreement - Government makes offer - Part 1

Official negotiations for the government’s proposed separate enterprise agreement for AHPs and AHAs began on 14 March 2025. The PSA set out our position for negotiations at that meeting (see more here).

On Tuesday 18 March 2025, the PSA met with government negotiators to advocate for the PSA’s position and the matters of importance for our members.

The PSA told the government:

• Negotiating for a single agreement for all salaried employees remains the PSA’s strong position. We have met extensively with our AHP members who have confirmed this position.
• A significant wage increase is a key priority of our members.

• Any wage outcome needs to make up for the fact that our members have seen an 8-10% decrease in the real value of their wages.

• Making up this difference must be the starting point before additional wage increases are applied to keep above inflation in future years.

• Attraction and retention remain significant areas to address. Wages play a key part in this.

• Recognition of skills and experience needs to be included by introducing an allowance payable to those at the top of their classification level

• Maintaining and recognition of professional qualifications is required

  • Professional development allowance similar to that in the SA Nursing/Midwifery Enterprise Agreement

  • Qualification allowances similar to those described at 9.10.2 and 1.1 of Appendix 12 in the SA Nursing/Midwifery Enterprise Agreement

• We are seeking equity with other workers:

  • Six weeks annual leave for seven day workers

  • Same job, same pay for multi-classified roles

  • Increases to penalty rates in line with other Public Sector cohorts

• Non-standard hours provisions

  • Based on the PSA’s proposals for the last two agreements

  • Includes rostering principles such as minimum notice for change and patterns of rosters

  • Defines terms to be used for ease of understanding across the sector

• Formalised progression from the AHP2 to the AHP3 level

• Updating the Work Level Definitions such that there is less of a reliance on supervising staff to progress to the AHP3 level – rewarding clinical expertise

• Improvements to conditions for members working in the regions

• Discipline specific matters including Genetic Counsellors

At the meeting, the government raised three areas for negotiation:

• Seven day rostering

  • They stated they want to provide five weeks annual leave to employees who are ‘available to work’ across seven days (as opposed to the current five weeks leave employees receive if they are working across seven days)

• Averaging hours over longer periods

  • This is to allow rosters where an employee may work more than 37.5 hours in one week without overtime penalty, but less than 37.5 hours in another week to average out to 37.5 hours per week over a longer period

• Reducing contract employment

  • The government suggested opening up Section 45 (3) of the SA Public Sector Act 2009 to include employees working in health. This provision already applies to AHPs and AHAs outside of health.

The PSA countered the vast majority of the government’s suggestions. The government stated the basis of their proposals is to encourage attraction and retention. The PSA stated that nothing suggested so far would assist in this area, and nothing suggested would be seen as a reasonable offset to a significant wage rise. We also noted that the low wages the government is offering is the biggest barrier to attraction and retention.

The government said they would supply the PSA with draft proposals around rostering and averaging of hours, and Child Protection specific proposals as well. They have not provided these.

It was apparent that the government’s agenda is driven directly from Health with little to no regard for other agencies.

The PSA questioned the government about what clauses from the current Salaried Enterprise Agreement would be included. The government indicated that they would be including clauses as suited them, and clauses like consultation and your job protection clauses in Appendix 1 Redeployment, Retraining and Redundancy would be stripped down.

The PSA sought and obtained agreement to meet regularly, with an intention to further discuss the PSA’s areas of specific concern and discipline specific matters. No further meetings have been held.

The government then wrote to the PSA on 27 March 2025, providing an offer for a new enterprise agreement for AHPs and AHAs.

These proposals are usually only issued after government has in-principle agreement with unions and bargaining agents - in this case HSU, PA and bargaining agents.

The PSA has not been provided with these terms before yesterday and is appalled by them. We are equally appalled that other unions and bargaining agents may be satisfied with them.

An update specifically on the government’s offer is being distributed to members and is available here.