Ask your local federal Member of Parliament to support multi-employer bargaining

The current system for pharmacists and technicians to negotiate improvements to their pay and working conditions is broken.

Despite the recent slight boost in wages due to staff shortages, low rates of pay, long working hours, poor working conditions and skill shortages continue to plague the community pharmacy industry, with pay rates in the Pharmacy Industry Award remaining the lowest of all health professionals in Australia.

Community pharmacy is dominated by small businesses, many without enterprise agreements in place – which has left the majority of community pharmacists and technicians employed on individual contracts, reliant on the bottom of the barrel pay and conditions in the Pharmacy Industry Award.

However, the federal government has recently introduced the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill into parliament - the Bill proposes a number of positive changes to the Fair Work Act, including access to multi-employer bargaining. 

If passed, the proposed legislation offers community pharmacists and technicians with a real opportunity to collectively bargain for pay and conditions on a multi-employer level resulting in workplace agreements that would enhance pay and conditions across the sector. 


Take action

It’s time for pharmacists and technicians to stand up and tell their story.

Your local federal Member of Parliament (MP) is currently deciding whether to support the legislation to improve access to a bargaining system which is simple, fair, and accessible for all.

Send your local MP a message and ask them to meet with you to discuss how a fairer bargaining system will give pharmacists and technicians a fair go.

We will help you prepare so you are confident and can get results.

You can use the below form which will automatically generate an email to your federal MP.
Instructions

Type in your postcode and press the find button to search for MP's in your electorate

Select the MP that you would like to contact (you can choose more than one), and finally, press the email button to send.
Please enter your search criteria to view results
To send an email to your local MP, please provide the following details:



The email we will send on your behalf

Dear [MP name],

As a constituent of your electorate and a professional pharmacist, I'm writing to you regarding the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill the Federal Government has recently introduced into Parliament and how the legislation will positively impact the community pharmacy industry.

 

Low rates of pay, dangerous working conditions and skill shortages have plagued the community pharmacy industry for many years, with the Pharmacy Industry Award setting pay rates for pharmacists and technicians as the lowest of all health professionals in Australia. As well as the pay rates in the Award, one of the key reasons for the issues in community pharmacy is the industrial relations system itself.

 

Community pharmacy is an industry made up of predominantly small businesses, many without enterprise agreements in place – leaving the majority of community pharmacists and technicians employed on individual contracts, reliant on the bottom of the barrel pay and conditions underpinned by the Pharmacy Industry Award.

 

This proposed legislation offers professionals working in community pharmacy an opportunity to be able to ‘collectively bargain’ rates of pay and conditions  on a multi-employer level resulting in workplace agreements that enhance  the Pharmacy Industry Award pay rates and conditions.

 

I would like to organise a meeting with you and pharmacists in your electorate to discuss the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill, how you can support our profession and assist our campaign for better wages and conditions in community pharmacy.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.



Yours sincerely,
[Pharmacist’s name]