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The AJP PodcastThe podcast by pharmacists, for pharmacists Author: Australian Journal of Pharmacy
The podcast by pharmacists, for pharmacists, brought to you by the AJP. Each episode, join a diverse panel of pharmacists from all settings and experience levels discussing topics that affect pharmacists in day to day practice such as ability & gender diversity in pharmacy, and medicinal cannabis. Language: en-au Genres: Business, Careers, Health & Fitness, Medicine Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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AJP Podcast: Union victory in Victoria
Tuesday, 3 November, 2026
Hospital pharmacist union representative Shaun O’Connor talks about the recent enterprise bargaining agreement achieved in Victoria, touching on pay, flexibility and safe working conditions O’Connor, a senior hospital pharmacist who is an elected member of the board committee of the Association of Hospital Pharmacists and the Health Services Union, told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that “There’s always a tension between having enough people and skilled people and retaining skilled people to be able to do the job that we need to do, investing in people to be able to advance the workforce”. “And part of the union’s role is to ensure that the paying bargaining conditions reflect the expertise that people are offering and to ensure that we can attract people of the right calibre of expertise to the jobs that we have in the health service.” O’Connor said that while the union was not yet satisfied that it had achieved Advanced Pharmacy Australia pharmacist-to-patient ratios in hospitals, “We were able to get 200 positions funded over the life of that agreement by the state government to be added to the workforce”. “The agreement in the last iteration actually had some conditions added around overwork, and it is something the union is keen on prosecuting where it comes to light that there may be EBA breaches occurring and trying to ensure that union members are working in line with the EBA and are protected from some of that overwork and burnout wherever we have the possibility to act on their behalf.” Highlights include: 01:14 – About the unions and the enterprise bargaining agreement 02:30 – An overview of the negotiations 03:45 – Outside factors affecting negotiations 05:58 – What pharmacists and their colleagues in different professions have as common concerns 08:06 – Pay and gender undervaluation 10:01 – Conditions and flexibility 10:28 – At what point does a workforce issue become a patient safety issue? 12:08 – Workload, staffing ratios, flexibility, career progression, and workplace culture 12:52 – The less visible workforce pressures 13:35 – Where do pharmacists sit within the broader hospital workforce conversation? 14:36 – Are industrial frameworks keeping up with the evolution of the pharmacist role? 15:58 – “The pharmacists have had a marked impact in the projected industrial action that we just went through.” 17:48 – Pharmacists have the ability to fight for pay and conditions 18:18 – What happens behind the scenes when an EBA is being negotiated? 21:08 – What makes an effective negotiator in a high stakes healthcare environment? 22:22 – Balancing priorities with other professions 23:58 – Handling an impasse 25:20 – The importance of collective action 26:12 – What do these negotiations tell us about the broader state of the Australian healthcare workforce? 27:35 – What needs to change to build a sustainable health workforce? 29:00 – Changing the way healthcare professionals are valued in the public system 29:45 – Understanding your rights 30:27 – Is the future in good hands? You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh
