WA nurses’ union members back new government pay deal

Western Australia’s nurses’ union has voted to accept the government’s latest pay offer, which the union says presents the “greatest average wage increase in WA history”.

More than 65 per cent of the union’s members voted to accept the offer in an online survey which closed on Sunday.

Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Romina Raschilla.

Key to the deal was the re-basing of nurse and midwife wages on top of the government’s wages policy of a 12.5 per cent increase over three years.

Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Romina Raschilla said the pay rise in the government’s latest offer could begin to address some of the recruitment and retention issues seen across the state.

“Naturally, wage stagnation saw WA’s standing on the national wage scale fall dramatically over the last 10 years,” she said.

“Since then, we have been waiting for wage and conditional increases to see us rival the eastern states again.

“The Cook government’s latest offer accepted by ANF members propels us back to being one of the most competitive states in the country.”

The new deal will expire in October 2027, and has an average wage increase over three years of 15 per cent, going as high as more than 18 per cent for nurses on level 2.3 and 2.4 pay grades.

It also contains a commitment to the continued rollout of nurse-to-patient ratios and a review of the parameters around counting babies as patients.

An earlier offer of 12.25 per cent was rejected by the union’s 40,000-strong membership, forcing the government back to the negotiation table.

But in sealing the deal, Labor avoids an ugly showdown with WA’s biggest union – which had formed its own party to enter the political fray, before withdrawing its application in November – ahead of the state election in March.

Treasurer Rita Saffioti welcomed the announcement.

“We set about a policy last year which created an envelope to work within, but allowed the flexibility to work with each workforce to look at their pay and conditions,” she said.

“We believe that was the right approach, and that done in a sustainable way, helps the workforce recognise the work that they’ve been doing, but also is sustainable for the state.”

The union has had its own turbulence to weather as the year drew to a close, with former state secretary Mark Olson removed from his role by the industrial watchdog in early October, just weeks after he was appointed following Janet Reah’s snap resignation.

Olson vowed not to contest the ruling but urged an end to the “soap opera-like” internal feud which had led Raschilla – then council vice-president – to apply to the Industrial Relations Commission to seek his removal.

The ordeal left the union without a secretary as negotiations with the government loomed, before Raschilla was appointed secretary on October 15.

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