A significant piece of advocacy this year has been the development of the Statement of Principles for GP Trainee Employment Arrangements.
Tangible changes to address GP trainee concerns and achieve fair and reasonable employment conditions in Australia are a priority for GPRA. We remain hopeful for a positive outcome on the proposed parental leave scheme for AGPT registrars, the decision on which remains with the Minister for Health.
GPRA considers that any framework, model or industrial instrument that guides employment arrangements of GP trainees must be sensitive to the specific contexts of the GP training environment and enable the realisation of terms and conditions that are fair and reasonable for all parties.
As an important step forward, GPRA and GPSA have agreed the key principles must be considered and fully addressed in any future discussions on GP trainee employment arrangements.
The aspirational principles shared by GPRA and GPSA are:
GP Trainee Employment Arrangements
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
- Trainee base salary rates should be comparable to hospital counterparts
- GP trainee employment arrangements provide for safe, high-quality medical care to the community
- Training practices’ business models must be sustainable
- Trainees are able to access the full breadth of training experiences in community practice
- Interests are identified, transparent and managed
- New infrastructure and/or additional administration or bureaucracy is avoided and minimised
- There is a fair process for resolving industrial relations matters and employment grievances
- Appropriate attention is paid to avoiding future unintended consequences
- GPSA and GPRA will work consecutively and collaboratively on any future employment arrangements to the benefit of our members through consensus
We would love to hear your thoughts on these principles – please send any feedback to me via email or social media channels.
Any decision to re-enter negotiations will only be taken if it is clear that doing so serves the interests of GP trainees and addresses the issues that exist with our current employment arrangements.
GPRA President
Dr Antony Bolton
Please don’t hesitate to contact me via email, Twitter or Facebook if you wish to discuss anything.