Farewell comrades – it’s been a pleasure
Published: 12 April 2011
by Gay Hawksworth (outgoing QNU Secretary)
This is my final editorial for The Queensland Nurse as I have made the decision to retire from the QNU after almost 29 years.
I am taking the opportunity this column provides to share with you some last thoughts about my time at the QNU, particularly during the last 16 years that I have been Secretary.
I was an activist in my workplace and along with others heavily involved in the establishment of the QNU in the early years.
I began working for the QNU in 1982, when nurses were agitating for university education.
It was a cause for much celebration when nursing education was transferred to the tertiary sector, and nursing became a profession in its own right.
This was followed by the transfer of the enrolled nurse course to TAFE with a Diploma qualification.
Direct Entry Undergraduate courses for midwifery have now commenced and demonstrate that midwifery, as a profession, continues to progress.
Many will still combine nursing and midwifery, but there will be those who will choose one or the other.
It is for this reason the QNU has recently modernised our rules to ensure that midwives are an integral part of our union – the union for nurses and midwives.
Advanced practice roles for both nursing and midwifery will continue to emerge and I look forward to the time when the knowledge, skills and expertise of nurses and midwives are more widely recognised and accepted by the community and other health professionals.
The research supports our belief that investing in nursing and midwifery will provide not only a reduced number of adverse patient/client outcomes, but it will also reduce costs.
As many of you know I have been a staunch advocate for maintaining a balance between the industrial and professional aspects of the work that our union does for members. Both are integral to success for members when determining wages and conditions.
Crucial professional issues such as staffing, workloads, skill mix and work environment – which impact on the satisfaction of nurses and midwives, as well as patient safety and quality – are won by using the industrial relations system either in Queensland or in the federal jurisdiction.
Over the years we have also fought battles against governments of all political persuasions.
I recall finding out about a wage offer for public sector nurses and midwvies from a Coalition government via an advertisement in the Courier Mail.
Although we had been in negotiation for some time, I was surprised to discover it was a first and final offer!
EB5 in the public sector saw nurses and midwives close 700 beds during industrial action.
Nurses and midwives fought long and hard against the Labor government during that dispute – showing we had courage and conviction before the matter went to arbitration.
EB6 and EB7 finally saw Queensland public sector nurses and midwives become amongst the highest paid in Australia in most classifications.
While most private hospital employers now know that to attract and retain nurses and midwives they must offer similar wages and conditions, sadly that is not the case in aged care.
The Because We Care campaign is so important if we are going to keep nursing in aged care.
It is not that nurses are not committed to aged care as a speciality, but with the wage gap so great and rising costs of living and housing, they cannot afford to stay.
As a young registered nurse, I very clearly remember the equal pay cases of the late 60s and early 70s – and benefited from them.
When I first started nursing, male nurses earned more than female nurses. Those cases ensured that the pay was the same regardless of gender.
However, over 40 years later persistently feminised workforces such as nursing/midwifery and other caring occupations are still undervalued.
In the next few months, we will learn the result of another landmark case being arbitrated in the industrial court, Fair Work Australia.
The Australian Services Union’s Equal Pay Case is about the systemic undervaluing of care work, often referred to as "soft skills" when compared to traditional male-dominated work.
Nurses and others who work in aged care do work of huge value to the community and yet it is not recognised.
This case is an important one for women workers generally and the QNU, along with other unions who represent women workers, will be watching the outcome of this case with great interest.
While I remain disappointed that we have not yet been able to achieve better pay for aged care nurses, I know that the QNU and the ANF will keep fighting the battle.
I am proud that we are a large and respected union both in Queensland and Australia and we continue to grow.
I have also been pleased to establish at the QNU our own legal section, complete with lawyers who have proven to be invaluable to nurses and midwives who find they require expert advice and representation.
Demand for this work is increasing, and over time we have needed to employ more solicitors.
I would like to thank all members who have worked for our union, particularly those who have given their time to participate in our governance and democratic structures such as the Council, Executive, and workplace branches, and through Annual Conference and Meetings of Delegates.
I would also like to express my appreciation for the many staff with whom I have worked over the years.
I have been fortunate in the years that I have spent at the QNU, and I have never lost the passion for nursing and midwifery.
It is also very satisfying to know that I leave the union in the safe, capable and experienced hands of the new leadership team in Beth Mohle and Des Elder.
I wish the QNU good fortune for the future, and thank all of you for your comradeship over the many years I have had the privilege of working for you.
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