Thousands of nurses and midwives in NSW are holding a significant stop work action today, fighting for a 15 per cent pay rise.
The strike will last for 12.5 hours, despite the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) ordering them to call it off on Monday.
The Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) said its members still planned to walk off the job from 7am. Association general-secretary Shaye Candish said the state government had been given ample time to negotiate.
“Not once has the government met with us to negotiate a pay rise above their 3 per cent offer,” said Candish.
“Nurses and midwives do not take industrial action lightly.”
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park is appealing for the association to call off the strike, warning the walk-off will have a significant impact on wait-times for patients. Park said it was disappointing the NSWNMA wasn’t following the orders of the IRC to call off the strike.
“Unions fought for this independent industrial court and commission, and we continue to urge the association to comply with the orders,” he said.
“There is no doubt such action will impact on our public health system, from longer waits in emergency rooms to cancelled non-emergency surgeries.”
Speaking to the nurses’ frustrations, Candish said, nurses and midwives “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 has left us with no choice.”
The NSWNMA said minimal, life-preserving staffing will be maintained in public hospitals and health services during the industrial action.
Women are most affected by this pay rise fight as the majority of the nursing profession in NSW is female. Demographic data from 2023 shows 87.97 per cent of employed nurses and midwives identify as female, according to The Australian Nursing and Midwives.
“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,” said Candish, adding that it’s clear the NSW government was choosing to pay the state’s nurses and midwives the lowest wages across the country.
“We need to demonstrate to this government that we are not going away and that we demand to be valued and that we mean business.”