Sunshine Coast nurses and midwives rally state government for fair pay rise

Dozens of Sunshine Coast nurses and midwives are rallying for a fair pay rise as staff worry their burnout and fatigue will soon impact on patient care.

Dozens of Sunshine Coast nurses and midwives are rattling the tin at the state government, demanding fairer pay rises after years of working in stressful environments and being at the frontline of a pandemic.

Staff and Queensland Nursing and Midwifery Union members met outside Sunshine Coast University Hospital on Tuesday, June 14, to call for a 5.1 per cent pay rise.

The union argued the state government’s proposed 2.5 per cent pay rise, offered in ongoing enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations, failed to meet the rising cost of living and the hard work from nurses and midwives.

Sunshine Coast registered nurse and union delegate Trudi Studt said it was disappointing the state government had not accepted the request of a 5.1 per cent pay rise, in line with CPI.

“The reason we’re doing this is we have been working incredibly hard under increasing pressure,” Ms Studt said.

Supplied Editorial SCN140622PROTEST 2

“We’ve been wearing PPE, we give up our weekends and holidays.

“We work with the sick in times of real distress and time and time again we raise the bar to do more with less to keep our patients safe.

“We love what we do but we want to be paid a fair wage for working under difficult conditions.”

Queensland Nursing and Midwifery Union acting assistant secretary Sarah Beaman, from Brisbane, said a survey of 900 members across the state – including nurses on the Sunshine Coast – found on average nurses had $11,000 worth of unpaid overtime over 12 months.

The estimate was based on how often staff worked through breaks or overtime.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union acting assistant secretary Sarah Beaman. Photo: Patrick Woods.

“It proves that nurses and midwives always do that little bit extra, but it all adds up,” Ms Beaman said.

“We know they go above and beyond.

“They deserve to be valued for what they do and part of that is having a fair remuneration … 2.5 per cent is not enough.”

Ms Beaman said it was important salaries kept up with the cost of living.

Ms Studt said across Queensland nurses would be pushing for a 5.1 per cent pay rise.

She worried without it some nurses may leave the public system or the industry all together.

“It’s not just demoralising, it’s also really disappointing,” Ms Studt said.

“It’s impacting our workforce because we’re suffering with burnout and fatigue, and it will affect patient care at the end of the day.

A Queensland Health spokesperson could not comment on the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement as negotiations were ongoing, but acknowledged the incredible work from nurses and midwives.

“Queensland Health values the incredible work our nurses and midwives perform in delivering healthcare to the community,” they said.

“We are committed to ensuring our nurses and midwives are provided with a safe working environment, that health and safety issues are addressed and that wherever possible fatigue is minimised.

“Negotiations for a new certified agreement for Queensland Health’s nurses and midwives are underway with the intent of reaching an agreement that is beneficial to nurses and midwives, and Queensland Health.”