Nurses have unanimously voted to turn down the state government’s offer of a pay increase, preferring to fight for a new award which would also include staffing improvements.
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In late June, members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association Bega branch were among 19 of the 172 state branches who voted to turn down the 2.5 per cent pay increase in favour of pushing for better staffing ratios.
Many people are doing double shifts, everyone is burnt out and fed up which is why they voted the way they did.
- NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association Bega branch secretary Amanda Gillies
“We needed to say to the government, we care about being able to provide safe care for patients and nurses more than a pay rise,” Bega branch secretary Amanda Gillies said in a letter to the association.
“We didn’t want ratios to be put on the back burner.”
Ms Gillies said the 62-bed South East Regional Hospital is classified as a peer group C hospital, and while there should be one nurse for every five patients, there is often one nurse for every seven or eight patients.
The association is pushing for one nurse for every four patients in rural and regional hospital wards across the state.
Ms Gillies said during “morning and afternoon shifts, one of the nurses is called a resource nurse”, who does not provide direct patient care.
“Many people are doing double shifts, everyone is burnt out and fed up which is why they voted the way they did,” Ms Gillies said.
NSWNMA Bega branch delegate and assistant secretary Diane Lang said the state government refused to negotiate with the association before making their 2.5 per cent offer.
“It’s a matter of negotiating with our union for a new award system, better funding and attracting more nurses to the hospital,” she said.
“At the moment the ratio changes every shift, which means we have extra patient loads or staff take on extra shifts.
“They accept the extra shifts because it’s up to the nurse to say yes or no, and you have a feeling of guilt and a need to help patients.
“It’s emotional blackmail, you are being coerced because you do the job to help people, and there’s weeks when it’s impossible to manage the care safely.”
Ms Lang said one extra nurse on both the medical and surgical wards would “make a big difference” and help ease the pressures being felt by staff.
Comment has been sough from the Southern NSW Local Health District.