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.

Strike action could include work stoppages, bed closures and reduced services.Credit: Generic

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.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls.Credit: Matt Dennien

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.”

The union also wants the agreement to address gender pay equity and a workforce shortage as well as provide a career pipeline for nurse practitioners.

Strike action could include union members wearing T-shirts to promote better pay, work stoppages, bed closures and reduced services.

“This overwhelming ‘yes’ vote for protective industrial action in the face of threats and the removal of rights highlights the collective strength of public nurses and midwives statewide,” union secretary Sarah Beaman said on Tuesday.

The industrial action proposal follows Queensland Health offering a revised enterprise agreement with the union late on Friday.

The union said it included some changes such as increased overtime rates for shift workers in future, permanent night shifts and more support for managers.

However, the offer did not include the “nation-leading” wage increase the union is seeking, nor did it remove clauses that allow a reduction in entitlements like parental leave and flexible working arrangements.

“Under this offer, there are still too many unanswered questions and missing commitments,” Beaman said.

“The important working conditions and rights of public nurses and midwives also remain at risk.”

The fight for better pay has turned sour as Beaman accused Queensland Health of threatening to strip nurses and midwives of a promised eight weeks’ back pay if they entered the industrial action ballot.

The union was set to lodge industrial action paperwork with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission on Tuesday.

AAP