‘Cracks in the system’: Nurses and midwives union committed to further industrial action

Nurses and midwives from across the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District joined thousands across the state in stop-work action on Tuesday.

The bitter stoush between the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association and the state government is showing no signs of abating with thousands of union members stopping work on Tuesday afternoon.

Members from the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District congregated at hubs in Wollongong and Nowra to consider their options with the union confirming they will take further industrial action at a yet-to-be-determined date.

The NSWNMA have been calling for improved “shift by shift” ratios as well as an increase in wages to compensate for the extreme working conditions and the increasing costs of everyday living.

The NSW government has capped wage increases to 3 per cent, however, as of Tuesday the union has confirmed they will pursue a pay increase of 7 per cent.

The Wollongong organiser for the NSWNMA, Katrina Bough, said a “big majority” of the union‘s membership were in agreement of further strikes due to the “cracks in the system”.

NSWNMA Illawarra representative Katrina Bough. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“Improved ratios and fairer pay were the main topics of discussion and obviously members feel pretty strongly about these things, particular ratios, given the current climate,” she said.

“Now more than ever we are seeing the cracks in the system which could be rectified with safer staffing ratios.

“Members feel particularly let down by the NSW government and NSW Health because they’ve not been willing to come to the table for genuine negotiations – particularly for a membership that is predominantly female, we feel very disgruntled.”

Ms Bough said the union had welcomed the announcements in last week‘s state budget, however, she indicated the “devil was in the details” arguing that much of the commitments were either previous commitments or not specific to nurses and midwives.

The NSWNMA members rallying outside Wollongong Hospital in March. Picture: Dylan Arvela

The meeting comes in the midst of industrial action from the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU) as well as a combined strike set down for Thursday with the NSW Teachers Federation and the state’s Independent Teachers Union.

“It’s a reflection of a state that’s in crisis,” Ms Bough said of the fractures between the NSW government and the public sectors.

“It shows that workers simply are not valued in this climate and under this government.”