Latest news with #QueenslandNursesandMidwives'Union
West Australian
08-07-2025
- Health
- West Australian
‘We're done being disrespected': Nurses ramp up action over fair pay
Thousands of nurses and midwives across Queensland have escalated their campaign for fair wages and conditions, with stage 2 of protected industrial action officially under way. The Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU) has confirmed members across all Queensland Health facilities will participate in targeted action, stepping back from a range of non-clinical duties while continuing to prioritise direct patient care. QNMU secretary Sarah Beaman said members were sending a clear message to Health Minister Tim Nicholls that it was now time for a new, nation-leading offer. 'Today marks a historic step in our push for a deal that recruits, respects and retains this state's frontline nursing and midwifery workforce,' Ms Beaman said. 'Nurses and midwives are holding our health system together through sheer heart, skill and determination. 'We're at breaking point and we're done being disrespected.' The latest action follows the union's rejection of the government's proposed 11 per cent pay rise over three years, with the QNMU instead pushing for a 13 per cent increase over the same period. The government's offer includes staged increases of 3 per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in both April 2026 and April 2027, and a final 3 per cent in December 2027. Mr Nicholls has described the proposal as a 'nation-leading' package that includes an 'Australian-first double-time-for-overtime care package'. However, Ms Beaman said the deal would strip Queensland's nurses and midwives of their long-held position as the highest paid in the country, a status they've maintained for 15 years. She said the workforce was now escalating action to 'keep Queenslanders safe.' 'We are over the state government's stalling tactics and gaslighting,' she said. Actions under stage 2 include not performing administrative and support duties such as filing, answering phones, cleaning equipment, moving beds or entering non-clinical data into hospital systems. The QNMU has also issued specific notices for additional actions in various wards and units across the state. The union confirmed it had provided Queensland Health with the required three full working days' notice to allow for contingency planning. The industrial action has been approved by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC). Members will continue to document all clinical observations to ensure safe, continuous care. The QNMU said the latest action was in response to what it described as a failure by the government to uphold its written commitment to maintain nation-leading wages and conditions. It said that under the current offer, more than 36,000 of Queensland Health's 55,000 nurses and midwives would miss out on those wage standards. 'We have not taken this decision lightly, but the government has left us no choice,' Ms Beaman said. She said the protected industrial action is about making sure there were enough nurses and midwives to care for Queenslanders. 'Fair pay, safe conditions, respect. That's all we're asking,' Ms Beaman said. The first stage of industrial action began on June 5 with low-level visibility activities such as staff wearing pink or promotional shirts and email signature updates. Ms Beaman said the stage 2 action would be 'legal, safe, and targeted,' in response to what she described as ongoing disrespect and gaslighting from the LNP state government. She emphasised that while the action may cause some inconvenience for Queensland Health officials, patient safety would not be compromised. 'We dedicate our working lives to the provision of safe, quality health care. As such, patient safety remains our priority at all times,' she said. Ms Beaman clarified the action was not a strike and assured the public that nurses and midwives would remain on the job, continuing to deliver frontline care. 'Nurses and midwives will be focusing on direct patient care, rather than some of the many other additional duties which have been added to their workload over the years,' she said. 'Nurses and midwives will not suddenly abandon their professional obligations or their longstanding and demonstrated commitment to patients and their care. 'But we are standing strong and calling on this government to bring an end to the disrespect and dishonouring of its election commitment. 'The Premier promised frontline nurses and midwives he would respect them. It's time to make good that promise.' Mr Nicholls' office has been contacted for comment.
Perth Now
07-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Nurses in bins, beds duties strike
Queensland hospitals are bracing for disruption as nurses escalate their campaign for a pay rise, with a new phase of industrial action actions to begin on Tuesday. The Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU) has confirmed Stage 2 of its protected industrial action will commence from 7am on Tuesday, July 8, intensifying its campaign for better pay and working conditions. While union officials have stressed patient safety will remain a priority, the latest action is expected to have a broader operational impact across Queensland Health facilities, with thousands of workers refusing to perform various non-clinical tasks, including making beds, delivering meals and emptying bins. Queensland hospitals are bracing for disruption as nurses escalate their industrial campaign, with a new phase of industrial action actions to begin tomorrow. NCA NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia It follows the union's rejection of the government's latest wage offer of an 11 per cent pay rise over three years, in favour of a 13 per cent increase over the same period. The government's proposal includes staged increases of 3 per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in both April 2026 and April 2027, with a final 3 per cent in December 2027. Health Minister Tim Nicholls has described it as a 'nation-leading' package that includes an 'Australian-first double-time-for-overtime care package'. However, QNMU Secretary Sarah Beaman said the deal would strip Queensland's nurses and midwives of their status as the highest paid in the country, a position they've held for 15 years. 'We will not be gaslit, or taken for fools,' Ms Beaman said. QNMU Secretary Sarah Beaman said the Queensland Government's deal would strip Queensland's nurses and midwives of their status as the highest paid in the country, a position they've held for 15 years. Richard Walker Credit: News Corp Australia Stage 2 of the protected action, legally permitted under the Fair Work Act 2009, will see union members refuse overtime without at least four hours' notice, take their full meal and rest breaks, and step back from administrative duties including filing, data entry, stock replenishment, and internal meetings unrelated to patient care. Other disruptions include a refusal to clean beds, move furniture, handle non-clinical waste, or participate in Medicare admissions documentation. In mental health services, formal national reporting tools will be paused, although clinical observations will continue to be recorded. The first stage of industrial action began on June 5 with low-level visibility activities such as staff wearing pink or promotional shirts and email signature updates. While this initially led to two weeks of renewed bargaining, the union says negotiations broke down when the government 'pulled the rug out' on perceived progress. Health Minister Tim Nicholls described the governments offer as a 'nation-leading' package that includes an 'Australian-first double-time-for-overtime care package.' NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia Although wages are the headline issue, the industrial action highlights a string of longstanding grievances within Queensland's healthcare system. Nurses cite burnout, poor nurse-to-patient ratios, staff shortages, especially in regional areas, and broken promises from Covid-era commitments. Surveys have found that over 58 per cent of Australian nurses report burnout, and 71 per cent say they are asked to do more than they can manage. Almost half of QNMU members surveyed said they were considering leaving the profession. The union is also calling for improved minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, claiming current workloads are unsafe and compromise patient outcomes. Nurses cite burnout, poor nurse-to-patient ratios, staff shortages, especially in regional areas, and broken promises from Covid-era commitments. NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled Credit: News Corp Australia A 2024 report from the Nurses Professional Association of Queensland (NPAQ) also raised concerns about centralised bureaucracy, with one administrator for every two nurses in Queensland, compared to a 1:5 to 1:7 ratio in Germany and Scandinavia, as well as a culture of fear, bullying and punished whistleblowing. The suicides of two midwives, one a new graduate and the other senior, at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in 2015 and 2023 were cited as tragic examples of this toxic environment. Midwife Jackie Pulleine alleged she faced retribution after raising concerns about patient safety at Redcliffe Hospital. QNMU says increasing waitlists, chronic overcrowding in emergency departments, and the death of Baby Benson amid neonatal bed shortages are all symptoms of a broken system. The state government has now referred the dispute to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission for conciliation. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the government remains committed to delivering a 'nation-leading wages deal' as part of a record $33 billion investment in the state's health system. That includes hiring 4,500 additional health workers over the next year, he said. However, the QNMU argues this investment must also be reflected in frontline wages. 'The funding necessary to recruit and retain skilled humans to care for Queensland has not been appropriately allocated,' Ms Beaman said. 'Multibillion-dollar health facilities without skilled staff are like a car without an engine.' With protected action escalating Tuesday and no resolution in sight, the QNMU warns the dispute 'could escalate if demands are not met'.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-07-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Nurses reject Crisafulli's claim wage offer is ‘nation leading'
Premier David Crisafulli insists the industrial offer to nurses and midwives sets out 'nation-leading wages', but the union accused the government of gaslighting workers and has confirmed stronger protected action will kick off on Tuesday. The premier said nurses and midwives employed by Queensland Health had been offered nation-leading pay conditions and that the budget, handed down last week, reflects the government's commitment to the sector and is in line with a key election promise. 'We are determined to make sure that we deliver what we said we're going to do [before the election], and that is making sure those nurses do have nation-leading pay conditions,' Crisafulli said. 'We will continue to sit down at the table and do it in a spirit that shows that we respect what they do.' The state government revealed its public sector wages offer earlier this year, with 3 per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in April 2026 and 2027, and an extra 3 per cent in December 2027. Loading But the Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU) said 66.7 per cent of nurses and midwives would be paid less than their Victorian counterparts by the end of the agreement and demanded the offer be increased. The union also called for measures to address gender pay equity and workforce shortages. Though the QNMU has met with the state government 36 times in the last six months, an agreement between the parties has not been reached.
The Age
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Age
Nurses reject Crisafulli's claim wage offer is ‘nation leading'
Premier David Crisafulli insists the industrial offer to nurses and midwives sets out 'nation-leading wages', but the union accused the government of gaslighting workers and has confirmed stronger protected action will kick off on Tuesday. The premier said nurses and midwives employed by Queensland Health had been offered nation-leading pay conditions and that the budget, handed down last week, reflects the government's commitment to the sector and is in line with a key election promise. 'We are determined to make sure that we deliver what we said we're going to do [before the election], and that is making sure those nurses do have nation-leading pay conditions,' Crisafulli said. 'We will continue to sit down at the table and do it in a spirit that shows that we respect what they do.' The state government revealed its public sector wages offer earlier this year, with 3 per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in April 2026 and 2027, and an extra 3 per cent in December 2027. Loading But the Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU) said 66.7 per cent of nurses and midwives would be paid less than their Victorian counterparts by the end of the agreement and demanded the offer be increased. The union also called for measures to address gender pay equity and workforce shortages. Though the QNMU has met with the state government 36 times in the last six months, an agreement between the parties has not been reached.
Sydney Morning Herald
27-05-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Queensland nurses vote to strike for first time in decades
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 3 per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in April 2026 and 2027, and an extra 3 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 the current offer be increased. But Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the department's pay offer 'meets the commitment in relation to nation-leading wages and conditions'. 'It will see an 11 per cent increase in nurses' and midwives' wages over the three-year length of the term and, for example, a registered nurse at position 5.5 [will be] paid substantially more, I think, in the region of about $25,000 more, over the term of the agreement than their Victorian counterpart.'
