For the first time since 2013, nurses in New South Wales public hospitals will strike as their work conditions reach a breaking point.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association says a majority of branches have voted in favour of the strike, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, February 15.
Brett Holmes, general secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association said the action said the NSW government has given nurses no choice.
“We don’t recommend industrial action lightly, particularly during a pandemic,” he told AAP.
“But the status quo cannot continue and we can’t return to the staffing levels of pre-COVID when we’re already in crisis and we’ve lost thousands of nurses.”
Thousands of nurses will strike on Tuesday for up to 24 hours. The union is calling on the NSW state government to implement nursing and midwifery staff ratios. It comes as patient loads remain very high and as thousands of staff, mostly nurses, are furloughed due to COVID-19.
“If the premier wants a well-staffed, well trained and resilient nursing and midwifery workforce in the public health system, then he must act now and implement shift by shift ratios across NSW,” Holmes said.
They are also calling a pay rise above 2.5 per cent in recognition of the additional work load during the Omicron wave, as well as no changes to the COVID-19 workers compensation currently in place. The state government has been looking at changing the compensation rules that presume essential workers caught COVID-19 at work.
If the government makes the changes, it will mean essential workers, including nurses, midwives and doctors, will have to prove they caught the virus at work to be compensated. Unions say this is next to impossible.
Nurses in Sydney are set to attend a rally outside NSW parliament house on Tuesday, while other demonstrations will be held across the state, including in Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Bathurst, Bega, Lismore and Tamworth.