Nurses vote to strike for first time in decades
Savannah Meacham |
Thousands of nurses and midwives have voted to strike for the first time in 20 years, saying promised “nation-leading” wage increases never transpired.
More than 96 per cent of Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union members voted in favour of protected industrial action as a stoush with the state government escalated.
The 50,000-strong union is demanding the Queensland government follow through on its 2024 election commitment of “nation-leading” wages for the health workforce.
The state government’s public sector wages offer is currently three per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in April 2026 and 2027, and an extra three per cent in December 2027.
The union said 66.7 per cent of nurses and midwives would be paid less than their Victorian counterparts by the end of the agreement.
It is demanding that the current offer be increased.
The union also wants the agreement to address gender pay equity and a workforce shortage as well as provide a career pipeline for nurse practitioners.
Strike action could include union members wearing t-shirts to promote better pay, work stoppages, bed closures and reduced services.
“This overwhelming ‘yes’ vote for protective industrial action in the face of threats and the removal of rights highlights the collective strength of public nurses and midwives state-wide,” union secretary Sarah Beaman said on Tuesday.
The industrial action proposal follows Queensland Health offering a revised enterprise agreement with the union late on Friday.
The union said it included some changes such as increased overtime rates for shift workers in future, permanent night shifts and more support for managers.
However, the offer did not include the “nation-leading” wage increase the union is seeking, nor did it remove clauses that allow a reduction in entitlements like parental leave and flexible working arrangements.
“Under this offer, there are still too many unanswered questions and missing commitments,” Ms Beaman said.
“The important working conditions and rights of public nurses and midwives also remain at risk.”
The fight for better pay has turned sour as Ms Beaman accused Queensland Health of threatening to strip nurses and midwives of a promised eight weeks’ back pay if they entered the industrial action ballot.
A spokesperson for Health Minister Tim Nicholls did not comment on accusations of the department stripping the back pay offer or future negotiations.
“The Crisafulli government is committed to supporting our valued nursing and midwifery workforce – this includes making Queensland Health an employer of choice,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The union was set to lodge industrial action paperwork with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission on Tuesday.
AAP
