
Issue No 102		13 July 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

News

Nurses Seek Urgent Action on Pay

Nurses have officially asked NSW Industrial Relations Minister, John Della Bosca, to initiate an urgent case aimed at improving nurse wages to alleviate a crisis is staffing levels.

The request for a case before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission follows official confirmation in recent days that the nurse shortage in New South Wales is now so serious it is forcing bed closures and service cuts.

NSW Nurses General Secretary Sandra Moait says the nurse shortage has been caused by a number of things, but relatively poor wages are a major cause.

"Compared with other health professionals, nurse wages have started to fall behind in recent years," Moait says.

She says wages for experienced general ward nurses - Registered Nurses Year 8 - are now more than $70.00 per week or nearly $4000.00 per year behind those for allied health workers, such as occupational therapists, speech therapists or physiotherapists at a similar stage of their career.

"This definitely makes nursing a lot less attractive to school leavers and is undermining the morale of many working nurses," Moait says.

Nurses argue the special Industrial Commission case should deals specifically with nursing, so that these anomalies can be removed.

The current round of public sector pay rises, which nurses share with all other government employees, is no longer enough. Nursing needs special attention or our health services will be in worse trouble before long.

"The NSWNA is currently running an Industrial Commission case to improve working conditions for nurses. This is also vital to overcoming the nurse shortage, as are a number of other NSWNA initiatives such as lobbying the Federal Government for HECS relief for student nurses.

The current public-sector pay agreement with the State Government prevents the union initiating a pay case at this time.

But under Section 167 of the Industrial Relations Act Minister Della Bosca has the power to initiate proceedings, and the Nurses are in no doubt the time has come for this to be done.

"A similar nurse-wages case in 1985 helped overcome a serious nurse shortage at that time," Moait says.

   Visit the NSW Nurses

  View entire issue - print all of the articles!

  Issue 102 contents

Interview: Jolly Green Giant
Senator Bob Brown on the upcoming federal poll, balances of power and what the Greens can teach the trade union movement.

Workplace: Call Centre Takeover
Theresa Davison brings us this real-life story from the coal face of the call centre industry.

E-Change: 1.2 Community � The Ultimate Network
Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel look at the potential for network technologies to reconnect communities.

International: Child's Play
Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has recently entered a new alliance with the Child Labour Schools Company to support a project for child labourers in India.

History: Flowers to the Rebels Faded
With the departure of our own Wobbly, a look at the development of the Wobblies in Australia and their view of Labor politicians and the work ethic seems timely.

East Timor: A Dirty Little War
In this extract from his new book, John Martinkus recounts the scenes in Dili immediately following the independence ballot.

Satire: Telstra Share Failure Ends City-Bush Divide: Everybody Screwed Equally
Communications Minister Richard Alston today claimed that the government had fulfilled its promise to ensure that the bush was not disproportionately disadvantaged by Telstra's privatisation.

Review: Cheesy Management
Currently climbing Australian best-seller lists is the 'life-changing' motivational book 'Who Moved My Cheese?' Rowan Cahill has a nibble but doesn't like the taste.

» Search for a Dude Begins

» Public Money Backs a Stellar Bully

» Workers Get First Meal Break In Five Years

» Soft Penalty for Video Nasties

» Negligent Employers Should Pay

» Brit Cleaners Serve It Up to Aussie Boss

» Rio Tinto Guilty of Hunter Valley Sackings

» Rail Workers Strike for their Families' Security

» Nurses Seek Urgent Action on Pay

» Workers Win Tip Top Delegate Rights

» Telstra Halts Latest Privatisation Plans

» Requiem for the Banks

» Surfers Remember Oil Slick Disaster

» Widespread Mail Disruptions on Cards

» Minister for Caged Hair Gets Hot Welcome in West

» Cleaner Wins Right to Attend Family Reunion

» Howard Cuts R&D Spending by 15 Per Cent

» Fears Grow Over Shangri-La Protests

» Mick Young Play Award

» Activist Notebook