Public hospital beds shut, surgery cancelled as nurse dispute worsens

Nurses will reopen closed beds and stop cancelling surgeries after the union struck a tentative deal with the state government following “intensive” negotiations.

Nurses and midwives have been offered a new pay deal, within hours of closing beds and operating theatres across the state’s public hospitals on Friday.

After holding out for months, the government caved and struck an “in principle agreement” — the details of which are yet to be released — with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Victorian branch.

The agreement was announced less than eight hours after they followed through on their threat to ramp up industrial action and shut beds, cancelled surgery and declined patient referrals.

ANMF Victorian branch secretary Lisa Fiztpatrick said details of the new offer, which the union will recommend, would be kept confidential until it can be shared with members at a meeting on Monday.

“Out of respect to our members, they must be the first to hear the details of the government’s proposed improved wages, allowances and conditions offer,” she said.

The union had rejected the government’s previous offer — a 3 per cent annual pay rise and $1500 bonus — and called for better penalty and incentive payments to retain permanent workers and reverse growing casualisation

Frustrated nurses and paramedics are threatening to take industrial action if the pay deal isn’t met soon. Picture: Brad Fleet

The 11th hour deal did not apply to all industrial actions, and stage one measures — which began on May 7 and include measures such as refusing to work overtime and banning certain administrative tasks — were set to continue.

Ms Fitzpatrick said they had “intensive negotiations” and the union was prepared “to work around the clock”.

“Thank you to everyone in the community who called, emailed and posted on social media with their wonderful support to show you had our back,” she said.

“I look forward to outlining the detailed in principle agreement to ANMF members who have worked so hard to get us to this position.”

The suspended “last resort” stage two measures, which began at 7am on Friday and were called off just before 3pm, allowed workers to shut up to a quarter of public hospital beds, while reserving a further two on each ward for emergencies only.

Victorian Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Theatre nurses had the right to stop one in four planned surgeries, while aged care assessment nurses could refuse one in three public referrals.

There were various exemptions in place — including for pediatric and neonatal wards and surgery — and the union had said they would not delay care for patients who needed time-sensitive treatment.

A Victorian government spokeswoman said they were “pleased to have reached an in-principle agreement” but did not offer any details, simply describing it as a “fair deal” for our “hardworking nurses and midwives”.

“We thank the ANMF and the Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association for bargaining in good faith,” she said.

“We will always back our nurses and midwives and the extraordinary work they do to provide Victorians with world-class care – keeping each and every one of us healthy and safe.”

The nurses’ win came as paramedics and police officers’ EBA disputes continued.