Thousands of nurses and midwives set to strike in NSW as they fight for better pay and working conditions

Despite holding crisis talks with the NSW government, thousands of nurses and midwives have voted in favour of walking off the job for 24 hours.

NSW public hospital nurses participate in a strike over staff shortages and pandemic-related stresses. Picture: Steven SAPHORE / AFP

Thousands of midwives and nurses are expected to walk off the job for 24 hours after voting in favour of a strike.

It comes less than six weeks after health workers took to the streets in a historic action to demand fixed nurse-to-patient ratios.

More than 160 branches of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association voted in favour of the new strike action on Friday, which is set to go ahead on Thursday March 31.

Nurses are fighting for a pay rise of more than 2.5 per cent to compensate for the pay freeze, which was imposed just as the pandemic began in 2020.

Union secretary Brett Holmes issued a statement on Friday which said nurses and midwives are “deeply distressed” by the government’s refusal to “acknowledge the public health system crisis”.

A strike by nurses and midwives across NSW is planned for Thursday, March 31. Picture: Steven SAPHORE / AFP

“In the past five weeks there have been multiple ‘code yellow’ incidents across the state, which signals an internal staffing emergency inside a health facility,” he said.

Mr Holmes said the incidents are becoming more frequent across Sydney, as well as in regional areas.

He said the strike action is about sending messages to the NSW government over the “failure” to fix the staffing crisis.

“We‘ve had ongoing reports of nurses and midwives working double shifts and increased amounts of overtime, gaps in staffing rosters going unfilled for weeks, vacant positions being left unfilled for months, as well as daily text messages begging staff to pick up extra shifts,” he said.

“Our members are scathing of the government‘s unwillingness to continue an open dialogue with us about their claim for shift by shift nurse-to-patient ratios, improved maternity staffing and a modest pay rise.”

While thousands of workers are expected to walk off the job, life-preserving services will be maintained at all public hospital and health services.

Thousands of nurses and midwives took to Sydney to strike in February. Picture: 9 News/Facebook

Similar to the walkout on February 21, an order has been made by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission banning the action.

“The Industrial Relations Commission has again acted for the Ministry of Health in placing orders and directions against the Nurses and Midwives Association and our members,” Mr Holmes said.

The ongoing issues of pay and conditions in public hospitals came to a head last month when thousands of nurses and midwives marched through Sydney’s CBD.

It was the largest strike action taken by nurses in almost a decade.

Premier Dominic Perrottet met with union representatives in the days following the rally, but the union said it has not received any offer from the government in response to its demands.

NSW Health has been contacted for comment.

Originally published as Thousands of nurses and midwives set to strike in NSW as they fight for better pay and working conditions