Queensland public hospital and community nurses and midwives accept 12.5 per cent pay rise over three years
Published: 16 July 2009
EBA also opens up new roles and powers for nurses
More than 25,000 nurses and midwives at more than 400 Queensland public hospitals and other health facilities will receive a 12.5 per cent pay rise over the next three years, as part of a new enterprise bargaining agreement with the State Government that will also investigate new roles and powers for nurses.
This follows their overwhelming acceptance this week of the new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiated between the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) and Queensland Health. More than 90 per cent of nurses and midwives, who voted, voted to accept the EBA. The first pay increase will start flowing after the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission certifies the new EBA, which is expected to occur sometime in the next few weeks.
The 12.5 per cent pay rise is made up of 4.5 per cent or $34.00 per week, whichever is greater, backdated to 1 April 2009 and 4.0 per cent or $34.00, whichever is greater, from 1 April 2010 and again from 1 April 2011.
For an experienced, full-time Registered Nurse or Midwife “at the bedside” (RN Year 7) that is a pay rise of nearly $3000.00 this year or about $55.00 per week. It is a total pay rise of $8,400 over the life of the agreement for this nurse or midwife.
The EBA and pay rise apply to nurses and midwives in Queensland public hospitals and outpatient centres, primary and community health care facilities and State Government aged care facilities. It makes nearly all nursing classifications in these facilities the best paid in the country.
As well as providing an immediate pay rise the new agreement also provides for four per cent annual increases to various allowances, the upgrading of the enrolled nurse role and funding for four projects aimed at enhancing the role and powers of nurses and midwives and further improving their career structure.
QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said this new EBA is about much more than a pay rise, as it also opens the way for significant reform of patient care practices in our hospitals and community health services.
“Firstly, the EBA better recognises the contribution of experienced enrolled nurses by increasing their top pay point by more than $2000.00 per year before the 12.5 per cent is applied. There are thousands of enrolled nurses with years of experience who deserve to be receiving this top pay point and we expect them to be upgraded over the life of this agreement.
“These experienced enrolled nurses will also have a greater clinical role. There is now an acceptance that they do have many years of practical experience in patient care and that it should be put to better use. This is especially true in rural health services, where these enrolled nurses are often long-serving members of their local communities and long-serving employees of their local health services.
“Another exciting feature of this EBA is the funding for research projects in four priority areas of nursing and midwifery workforce planning. This work has significant implications for patient care models across Queensland Health.
“The first project involves improvements to workloads management systems. The second will look at innovative models of nursing and midwifery, which will increase the roles and powers of nurses and midwives in ways that improve patient care and relieve pressure in the healthcare system.
“These models include more nurse practitioner models, midwifery-led maternity models, nurses being allowed to discharge patients and improvements to the makeup of nursing, midwifery and healthcare teams.
“The third project will look at working arrangements in an attempt to improve rostering systems and better deal with the different needs of different age groups and healthcare workplaces. For example, it will develop rostering solutions to minimise fatigue generally, but in particular around night shift, including sleep breaks and reasonable adjustment periods between shifts. These working arrangements are big issues for nursing and midwifery, which usually involve round the clock rostering systems.
“The fourth project will review the existing nursing and midwifery classifications and career structure, to support the new nursing roles and responsibilities and update the existing models of nursing and midwifery.
“This all represents considerable change and challenges for nurses and midwives and the other health professionals they work with. There will also be a strong emphasis put on nurse and midwifery leadership in primary health care settings, as part of the wider campaign to improve health and wellbeing in the community and keep people out of hospitals.
“Queensland nurses are ready and willing to do things differently and trial innovation in the interests of improved patient care and community health outcomes. This EBA better rewards them for that commitment and also provides mechanisms for implementing innovation and researching new models of care,” Ms Hawksworth said.Contact:
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