‘Enough is enough’: Geelong Healthscope nurses and midwives walk off the job
Healthscope nurses and midwives have walked off the job at The Geelong Clinic, demanding wages match those of public hospital staff.
More than two dozen Geelong Healthscope nurses and midwives walked off the job on Thursday in a fight for fair conditions and “market-comparable wages” amid enterprise agreement negotiations.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) members gathered outside The Geelong Clinic in St Albans Park from 2pm and refused to work for four hours.
Registered nurse Jameson Dalton commended his colleagues for walking off the job, a decision he said wasn’t “taken lightly”.
“We have tolerated a lot from Healthscope because we care about our patients and the work that we do, but at some point you have to stand up for yourself and say enough is enough,” he said.
“We’re not asking for any special treatment, we’re not asking for anything above and beyond, all we’re asking is to be treated the same as the nurses in the public sector and the not-for-profit sector.”
It comes amid negotiations of a new enterprise agreement between Healthscope and the ANMF Victorian branch after the previous EBA expired on June 30.
According to Healthscope’s new wages proposal, in December 2027 the most experienced grade two Healthscope nurse or midwife would earn $2147.65 per week ($56.51 per hour), while a public sector nurse or midwife at the same level would earn $2355 per week ($61.97 per hour).
The ANMF said in a statement it was, “seeking market-comparable wages and conditions and is opposing an unprecedented move by Healthscope that would see up to 90 per cent of any employee’s salary packaging benefit be redirected to operational costs, including servicing corporate debt, rather than into the pockets of nurses and midwives”.
ANMF Victoria secretary Maddy Harradence said healthcare workers deserved a “fair and reasonable” enterprise agreement, without having to “compromise any entitlement to salary packaging”.
A Healthscope spokesman said the organisation was “disappointed” the ANMF had decided to take action, arguing it had put forward a “fair and competitive wages offer with improved conditions”.
“Healthscope is developing a proposal to transition the organisation into Australia’s largest not-for-profit private (for purpose) hospital operator,” he said.
“As part of this, we are putting forward a salary packaging option that provides for both significant financial benefits to staff, while helping to support the viability of a not-for-profit Healthscope.
“This would see up to an initial 40 per cent share go to employees who voluntarily choose to take up the opportunity, with a view that this would increase over time.”
He added the response to Healthscope’s salary packaging proposals had been “overwhelmingly positive”.
“In voting completed across 19 of our 20 EBAs, we’ve seen 83 per cent of our people vote in favour of introducing salary packaging.”
Meanwhile, dozens of GrainCorp employees launched a 48-hour strike at the Geelong and Portland ports on Thursday.
The United Workers Union condemned GrainCorp, saying it had “stonewalled” negotiations regarding fair pay and a workable rostering system.
Lead organiser Tom Czech said members were forced to take “drastic measures” because GrainCorp was “hellbent on blocking any attempts by our members to get ahead and provide for their families”.
“Our members are an integral part of port operations, and we will see that over the next two days when ships aren’t loaded and the port is idle,” he said.
A GrainCorp spokeswoman said the organisation encouraged the UWU to engage in negotiations “constructively” to come to a resolution.
“The only way to complete these negotiations is for the UWU to return to the table,” she said.
“We have a meeting scheduled next week and remain ready to continue discussions at any time.”
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Originally published as ‘Enough is enough’: Geelong Healthscope nurses and midwives walk off the job
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