Following a series of short rallies in recent months, Central Coast nurses and midwives carried out their first 12-hour strike from 7am on Tuesday, September 10, defying an Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) order to call it off.
Public sector nurses and midwives from across the region were hoping to send the NSW Government a loud message as they hold out for more pay and better conditions.
They were among thousands of NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) members statewide who walked off the job from 7am-7.30pm to fight for a 15 per cent one-year pay increase.
On Monday, September 10, the IRC instructed nurses to abandon their planned 12.5-hour strike on Tuesday.
But the NSWNMA confirmed that its members still intended to walk off the job from 7am as part of their ongoing push for a 15 per cent pay rise.
Approximately 300 nurses gathered on the Gosford waterfront in a rally to voice their support for the wages campaign, highlighting serious concerns within the profession.
Michelle Cashman, a local nurse delegate who attended the Gosford rally, expressed the deep frustrations shared by her colleagues.
“Nurses are leaving in droves because of the poor pay,” she said.
“We want to get more nurses into this amazing profession and we need to be taken seriously.”
Health Minister Ryan Park had appealed to the association to comply with the IRC orders, warning that the disruptions would likely result in longer wait times for patients.
But NMA general-secretary Shaye Candish said the state government had been given ample opportunity to negotiate.
“Not once did the government meet with us to negotiate a pay rise above their 3 per cent offer,” she said.
“Nurses and midwives do not take industrial action lightly.
“They strive to provide compassionate, high-quality care to our patients every day, but the NSW government’s refusal to value us and put a decent offer on the table left us with no choice.
“The State Government is not bargaining in good faith.
“Not once in our 10 negotiation meetings has the government sat at the table and discussed nurses and midwives’ pay.
“That’s despite us finding significant cost savings through our Rapid Business Case.
“Nurses and midwives shouldn’t have to foot the bill for safe staffing ratios in our public hospitals and forgo a decent pay rise – there’s no other workforce that’s been required to pay for their own resources.
“NSW Labor was elected on a platform of gender equity and supporting women in work.
“They’re now refusing to fix the gender pay gap and not deliver the state’s largest female-dominated workforce fair and reasonable pay.
“It’s clear the state government is choosing to pay nurses and midwives the lowest wages in the country, and it will continue to see our public health system fall apart if it doesn’t pay nurses and midwives enough to stay in NSW.”
Minimal, life-preserving staffing was maintained in public hospitals and health services during the 12-hour strike.
Minister Park expressed disappointment that the association chose not to comply with the IRC’s orders.
Can someone clarify about the ‘gender pay gap’? To those not a nurse, we understand that nursing positions are set at a grade level (e.g level 1, 2, 3, 4 etc..) as is standard across government agencies, and the grade applies whether male or female. So how is that a gender pay gap?
Also keen to learn what resources nurses are buying/paying for?
Worst case, majority of directly related workplace purchases can be tax deductions to receive the money back.