Queensland nurses to ‘likely’ take industrial action next week
Queensland nurses are on track to take industrial action as early as next week after formally rejecting the Crisafulli government’s pay offer.
Queensland nurses are on track to take industrial action as early as next week after formally rejecting the Crisafulli government’s pay offer.
The powerful Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union has alerted Queensland Health it intends to take a stand after rejecting the “subpar” enterprise bargaining offer presented at the eleventh hour by the Crisafulli Liberal National government.
QNMU secretary Sarah Beaman said the overwhelming support for industrial action is in reaction to meet repeated promises to compensate nurses with the nation-leading pay and conditions. She said failure to keep the state’s nurses the top paid in the nation would jeopardise patient care and staffing levels.
“Nurses and midwives on the frontline of Queensland Health have refused to cave to state government pressure today,” Ms Beaman said.
“Queensland’s public nurses and midwives have stated, overwhelmingly, they are standing strong for Queensland, their frontline colleagues and the future of free care.”
The union has made an application to take strike action with the support off 96 per cent of union members, but it can only occur three business days after the request is accepted by Queensland Health.
It will the first time in 23 years they have made a protest stand, with stage one of the industrial action to likely begin next week with a T-shirt campaign and the distribution of badges.
Negotiations with the state’s 260,000 strong public service began in January, led by the nurses whose agreement expired in April. Teachers, police and firefighters are currently broking deals with their respective departments ahead of their EBA running out at the end of June. The remaining public service will also need new deals by early-2026.
All have rejected the government’s initial offer of a 3 per cent pay rise in 2025, followed by 2.5 per cent annually in the next two years.
After Victorian nurses negotiated an annual pay rise of 7.1 per cent earlier this year, Queensland Health upped its offer to the QNMU with a 3 per cent sweetener from December 1, 2027, to keep them the nation’s highest paid for four months until the next negotiations.
However, the bump was on the condition that the QNMU would not initiate industrial action at the risk of losing eight-weeks of backpay.
An eleventh hour offer, which stripped the backpay clause while offering extra conditions, was received last Friday, but this has also been knocked back. Nurses will lose the option of backpay as a new EBA deal as not been struck within a month of the previous one expiring.
“The government threatened us with the removal of eight weeks’ backpay if we didn’t accept this substandard offer by close of business today,” Ms Beaman said.
“However, we continue to stand strong for a fair agreement and the backpay the government owes us.”
Health minister Tim Nicholls said the government would negotiate in good faith, but had not yet received a counter offer from the union.
“It’s disappointing that the union has rejected two offers that fulfill the government’s election commitment to deliver national-leading wages and conditions for our nurses and midwives,” he said.
The Crisafulli Government's first budget will be handed down in June 24.
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