Nurses wear pink to mark first industrial action in two decades

More than 45,000 frontline health workers took protected ­action, with the union saying protests would escalate if the government didn’t honour its commitment to workers.

Cairns nurses have rejected the state government’s wage increase offer after concerns Victoria will lead the nation in pay and conditions by 2027. Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union secretary Sarah Beaman and Cairns nurse Suri Hobday. Picture: Tim Little.

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Queensland’s nurses and midwives donned pink shirts and handed out pamphlets to patients on Thursday as the union launched industrial action after negoti­ations with the Crisafulli govern­ment stalled over its commitment to “nation-leading pay and ­conditions”.

More than 45,000 frontline health workers took protected ­action for first time in 23 years, with the secretary of the Queensland Nurses and Midwife Union, Sarah Beaman, saying protests would escalate in coming weeks if the government didn’t honour its commitment to workers.

“Nurses and midwives don’t feel respected by their employer,” she said. “We are not being unreasonable, we are not seeking a pat on the head. All they want is an offer that actually maintains a commitment, but also, more importantly, doesn’t erode existing entitlements and conditions.

“Activity launched today will escalate in the coming weeks if the state government continues to threaten the rights of nurses and midwives.”

The Crisafulli government pledged prior to the state election last October that it would secure nation-leading pay and conditions for the public service after the previous Liberal National government under Campbell Newman slashed 14,000 jobs, including those of frontline workers. At the time of Mr Newman’s election, the enterprise bargaining agreement with the QNMU had already been negotiated.

The entirety of the state’s 260,000 strong public service will need new enterprise agreements by early 2026, led by the nurses whose deal expired in April.

Teachers, firefighters and police are in the midst of negotiations, with their deals set to expire in July, with more to follow.

The government’s opening offer to the public service – which would secure a pay increase of 3 per cent in 2025 and 2.5 per cent annually for the next two years – was rejected by the unions.

Nurses were offered a sweetener of 3 per cent from December 2027 across the remaining four months of their agreement, to keep them the highest paid in the nation after their Victorian counterparts struck a deal for an annual 7.1 per cent pay bump. However, the offer included a clause that would withhold back pay should they opt to take industrial action.

Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls has stood by the offer. Picture: Richard Walker

A second offer was made in May, removing the clause and including a range of conditions.

The union claims that under the most recent offer, 66.7 per cent of frontline nurses and midwives would not receive nation-leading wages, which could lead to understaffing if workers defected to higher paying Victoria.

Ms Beaman noted pay disparities would exist across pay levels, with grade seven nurse and midwifery unit managers $4 an hour worse off than those in Victoria.

Speaking at the opening of a new fracture clinic in Rockhampton, Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the latest offer included an Australian-first offer of double time for overtime for nurses and midwives, and would increase their pay by 11 per cent over the three-year deal.

“They obviously are bargaining solidly,” Mr Nicholls said. “Equally, we believe we’ve fulfilled our commitment, and we are valuing our nurses and midwives by ensuring that they get nation-leading wages and conditions, and we’ll continue to do so.”

Stage two industrial action will see work bans implemented, meaning procedural work unrelated to patient care will not be completed. No further action is planned at this stage.

Further rounds of negoti­ations will continue in coming weeks ahead of the Crisafulli government delivering its first budget on June 24.

The state’s police, who are legally not allowed to partake in industrial relations, have asked for annual pay increases of 8 per cent on the back of the Crisafulli government’s flagship commitment to reduce youth crime and victim numbers.

Teachers are planning a rally in Brisbane on Tuesday, June 24, in their own time.