Tasmania's public hospital nurses step up industrial action

UPDATED: The State Government has offered unions a meeting to discuss wage rises as the state’s public sector nurses have stepped up their campaign of industrial action.

THE State Government has offered unions a meeting to discuss wage rises as the state’s public sector nurses have stepped up their campaign of industrial action.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation says its members will refuse to work overtime and double shifts for two days a week.

The bans began at midnight and will be stepped up in two weeks if the Government does not provide an acceptable offer on pay and conditions, ANMF state secretary Emily Shepherd said.

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The Royal Hobart Hospital.

Additional industrial action by theatre staff across the state in relation to surgery was currently being considered later this week, Ms Shepherd said.

“Yet again the Government have promised but are yet to deliver a competitive offer to nurses and midwives.

“There have been at least three major promises of an offer in the last month with no outcome. If our members worked like the Government then undoubtedly people would be waiting many hours for things both needed and promised, such as pain relief and essential treatment, and lives would be compromised.

“However, unlike the Government, nurses and midwives attempt, often in difficult circumstances, to meet the needs of patients and clients as quickly as possible.”

ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd speaks to the media at a press conference at the Royal Hobart Hospital in Hobart on Thursday January 17, 2019.

Nurses, teachers and other public sector workers also are seeking pay rises in excess of the Government’s unilaterally imposed 2 per cent annual cap. Public school teachers have announced they would hold stop work meetings on their first day back at work on February 4.

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In a joint statement, Premier Will Hodgman and Treasurer Peter Gutwein condemned the continuing industrial action.

“The Tasmanian Liberal Government is disappointed at continuing industrial action from unions, despite the concession from some union bosses last month that industrial action did not allow for good faith negotiations,” they said.

“Tasmania’s hardworking public servants could have had a pay rise of 6 per cent over three years locked in and being paid since last December.”

They said they had written to unions to arrange a meeting next week regarding public sector wages.