On Friday workers at Bendigo and 10 other health services across the state began a series of actions, including refusal to undertake any non-clinical work or paperwork, process private health insurance claims or undertake work outside ordinary hours. 

HACSU assistant state secretary Paul Healey said the union, which represented 6,000 workers across the state, wanted improvements in staffing levels, workloads and safety mechanisms.

It also wants a 4 percent pay rise each year and pay parity with workers in New South Wales, and for peer workers – people with lived experience of mental illness – to be covered.

While the old agreement expired on March and negotiations began in January, Mr Healey said the two organisations had only been able to reach an agreement on three minor clauses related to breastfeeding, domestic and family violence, and reasonable adjustments.

He said it was imperative an agreement was reached quickly as the state government’s no backpay policy meant workers were on a pay freeze in the meantime.

Mental health nurses across the state have also started wearing red shirts as part of industrial action.

The Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation is negotiating a new mental health nurses enterprise agreement with HACSU, VHIA and the Victorian government.

Nurses in 12 health services across Victoria, including Goulburn Valley Health, which is based in Shepparton, have begun wearing red shirts and handing out campaign information to promote their plight.

Bendigo Health nurses voted against participating in this industrial action.

The nurses’ union wants the introduction of nurse-patient ratios in inpatient services and a workload management mechanism for community mental health nurses.

“Implementing nurse patient ratios in our inpatient mental health services will provide certainty around staffing levels and really improve mental health nurses’ ability to provide quality care for often very complex patients,” branch secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said.

Nurses are also seeking the same pay rises of between 4 and 20 percent achieved in the public acute sector agreement earlier this month.

The current Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association and Victorian government offer is 2.5 percent per year, plus an additional 0.5 percent for service delivery improvements.