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Victoria’s mental health professionals receive their next (and biggest) 3.25% yearly pay rise today under the new EBA won by members.
 
The pay rise means an entry level allied health professional will receive a weekly pay hike of $34.10, with the vast bulk of members clustered around grade 2 and grade 3 year 4s, receiving between $51.50 and $78.10 extra per week.
 
These increases are applicable to members working in music therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, play therapy, recreation therapy, social work and speech pathology. Child psychotherapists, welfare workers and youth workers also receive similar pay increases today.
 
HACSU Assistant State Secretary, Paul Healey, said the pay increases were clear evidence of the effectiveness of collective action.
 
“Members fought very hard for these pay increases, and they are certainly well deserved with the ever-increasing pressures of work and rising cost of living.”
 
The HACSU Mental Health EBA - registered as an agreement early this year - is the best agreement we have won in recent history.
 
For example, a Grade 3 Year 4 health professional will receive additional pay of $37,275 over the 4-year life of the agreement. (This calculation is the total additional wages over and above the rates at the end of the last EBA over a 4-year period.)
 
Wages for mental health professionals will be up a whopping 16% over the 4 years.
 
In addition to the ongoing pay increases, for health professionals the EBA also delivers;

• an additional one-off lump sum payment of $1,561,
• an additional (2.5 days per year) annual leave. (Importantly, members should check their increased annual leave entitlement has actually been credited.)
• 15 new Health Professional Clinical Educator positions across Victoria;
• an increment uplift for many members, with an end of band payment of $17.50 per week,
• an “acting up” allowance paid on a shift-by-shift basis, and an entitlement to paid trade union training.

The latest pay increase is effective from the first full pay period following November 1, 2017.
 
All members should check their pay slips in the coming weeks to ensure they have received the increases.

For clarification about pay increase levels, members should contact their payroll officer as a first point of contact, and if there are further questions or disputes contact HACSU on 1300 651 931.