Unfortunately, management at Lifeblood seemed to be following in the footsteps of Melbourne Pathology and refusing to acknowledge the unique workforce they have. However, Lifeblood’s management have decided they want to alienate their entire workforce with dud deals.
Members at Lifeblood are working stave off a proposed amalgamation of over five Enterprise Agreements, which would result in many entitlements we have worked hard to achieve being axed, reduced or grandfathered. Lifeblood wants to get rid of incremental pay-career progression so that management can decide how much to pay people. Of course, this means a totally opaque process and no opportunity to progress once your salary has been ‘decided’, which also means a breakdown in career progression opportunities.
Members are also fighting for a fifth week annual leave.
And just like the management at Melbourne Pathology, Lifeblood is insisting they can’t afford to give members a fair deal while returning $110 million in funding to the government as ‘unneeded surplus’ over the past few years.
This past Tuesday (18 June) we held a joint protected action with members from the Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association. You might have seen us dancing and waving signs out the front of Lifeblood’s main building in West Melbourne with a deafening wall of blaring car horns, music and chants for a fair deal.
It was an impressive display of solidarity across unions which was made even more impressive as it included a simultaneous action being taken by Lifeblood union members in South Australia represented by Professionals Australia.
You can check it out action on our Instagram and while you’re there make sure you like, share and follow!
