NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has slammed Tuesday’s 24-hour walkout of union member nurses across NSW amid breakdowns in negotiations over pay.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) announced last week its members would participate in a strike for an entire day from the beginning of the morning shift, with major public rallies being held in Sydney, Tweed and Albury.
As with previous walkouts, only minimal, “life-preserving” staff will continue to work throughout the walkout in public hospitals and health services as the union continues to fight for a one-year 15 per cent pay increase.
The union accused the state government of failing to “demonstrate willingness to negotiate in good faith.”
Minister Park said he was “deeply concerned” about what impact the walkout would have on patients following a strike earlier this month.
“I’m extremely concerned of the massive impact that it will have on people waiting and relying on important elective surgery,” he said.
“The last strike, nearly 500 people were impacted, people who needed cancer treatment, people who needed dialysis … this is a huge burden on our community.”
The minister said the state government accepted recommendations by the Industrial Relations Commission, and was willing “remain at the table.”
The powerful industrial commission recommended nurses’ receive an interim 3 per cent pay increase as negotiations continued, and that industrial action cease.
Critically, Minister Park said it was “not possible” to deliver that increase, which would have been back paid, if the strike action planned for today went ahead.
“This is an independent umpire you asked for. We as a government, accept their judgment,” he said.
“We ask nurses and midwives to do the same, allow their members to get money in their pockets now that is back paid.
“And, allow the discussions to continue to go on over the days and months ahead, as recommended by the commission.”
NSWNMA general secretary Shaye Candish said the union remained committed to finding a path forward, but that the state government had failed to negotiate.
“Our hospitals are in crisis with increasing activity and increasing numbers of nurses and midwives leaving for better pay interstate,” Ms Candish said.
“The public expects their local hospital to be well staffed, but the current wage setting for nurses and midwives means they cannot stay.
“We have genuinely tried to avert this action, but the government has simply failed to demonstrate a willingness to move.”
Thousands of nurses defiantly walked off the job earlier this month across Sydney and regional NSW demanding better pay, despite an order not to do so.
The commission ordered the union to call off the strike amid ongoing negotiations with the NSW government.
The state government earlier offered a three-year 10.5 per cent pay rise to NSW public sector workers, which would have included nurses.
The union has for more than a year been calling on Premier Chris Minns to implement a 15 per cent pay rise for NSW nurses, who it says are the lowest paid in Australia.
Speaking on the recent strike, the Premier told 2GB radio a 15 per cent pay rise would cost as much as $6.5 billion – “more than we spend on the entire police force”.
“I think police, teachers, corrections officers, paramedics would rightly knock on my door the next day and say we want 15 per cent as well,” the Premier said.
Ms Candish said NSW’s nurses and midwives were leaving for better wages and conditions in Queensland and Victoria, where wages are between 10 and 22 per cent higher.
“It’s clear when two major public sector unions are undertaking industrial action, that we have a government that is incapable of dealing with the issues at hand,” she said.
NSWNMA assistant general secretary Michael Whaites added that the state government had acknowledged pay gaps were driving a “recruitment and retention crisis”.
“But it is now clear that after four months of negotiation they are yet to do any work towards putting an improved offer to our members,” Mr Whaites said.
“This government is failing to listen to its largest female-dominated workforce, instead they expect nurses and midwives to sit down and be quiet and continue to pay 2024 bills on 2008 wages.”