16 May 2003
Nurses: Worth Looking After campaign up-date
Queensland public sector nurses secure improved pay, workloads management provisions, qualifications allowances, night shift penalties and in-charge-of-shift payments
The Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) has secured improved pay, the introduction of qualifications allowances, better night-shift penalty rates, an in-charge-of-shift-allowance and better workloads management provisions for nearly 20,000 Queensland public sector nurses.
The improvements are contained in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission’s (AIRC) final decision in the Queensland public-sector nurse wages and conditions case, which was released in Sydney today, Friday 16 May 2003.
Improvements to base pay rates
To address the State’s nurse shortage, the AIRC has awarded all Level One nurses – general ward nurses – a pay rise of 16.3 per cent (compounded) over three years including an immediate four per cent pay rise (effective from the first pay period after today’s decision). This immediate four per cent rise amounts to about $35.00 per week for a full-time Level One Year Eight nurse. This is in addition to the 3.8 per cent awarded to all public sector nurses by the AIRC last October.
This immediate four per cent pay rise means the annual salary for a full-time Level One Year Eight nurse will rise from its current $45,930.00 to $47,762.00. By December 2004 they will be earning a base salary of $51,461.00.
The State Government originally offered Level One registered nurses a pay rise of 12.9 per cent (compounded) over three years.
The AIRC has also awarded Level Two nurses a pay rise of 14.1 per cent over three years, including an immediate two per cent pay rise. This means the annual salary for a full-time Level Two Year Four nurse (top pay point of the classification) will rise from its current $51,028.00 to $56,079.00 by the end of next year.
In addition to last October’s 3.8 per cent rise, all other nursing classifications will have their base pay increased by a further 3.8 per cent (or $25.00 per week, whichever is higher) in November this year and a further 3.8 per cent (or $25.00 per week, whichever is higher) in December 2004.
Qualifications allowances
In addition to these pay rises the AIRC has also granted the QNU’s claim for qualifications allowances and from July this year thousands of nurses with postgraduate clinical qualifications, relevant to their job, will receive a further substantial pay rise depending on the nature of the qualification and their current classification.
This can be as high as around $2600.00 per year for nurses with Masters or PhD degrees and $1650.00 per year for nurses with graduate certificates, diplomas or equivalent qualifications.
Night shift penalty rates
The AIRC has also agreed to the QNU’s claim for an increased night shift penalty rate to better compensate people who work this difficult and unpopular shift. The penalty rate will be increased from its current 15 per cent to 17 per cent.
In-charge-of-shift allowance
To recognise the increased responsibility some nurses are forced to take on because of the current nurse shortage, the AIRC has also granted an in-charge-of-shift allowance of $8.40 per shift for those Level One nurses who have to take on leadership positions because of the shortage of Level Two nurses.
Workloads management
As part of the arbitration process the QNU and Queensland Health have also agreed to a legally enforceable mechanism that ensures nurses will not have to put up with excessive and dangerous workloads. This mechanism is known as the Business Planning Framework: Nursing Resources.
QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said the long-running campaign by Queensland nurses has been worth it and we have made significant advances on what the State Government originally wanted to pay its nurses.
“As a result of our industrial and legal campaign, which started in June last year, we have lifted the Government’s original bare-bones offer from three per cent to 3.8 per cent and won significant extra benefits such as qualifications allowances. These extra benefits will be available to the majority of Queensland public sector nurses,” Ms Hawksworth said.
Since July last year the full bench of the AIRC has been hearing and considering the QNU’s application for an award, which provides improved wages and working conditions for nearly 20,000 Queensland public sector nurses. The full bench hearing the case was Justice Paul Munro, Senior Deputy President Jan Marsh and Commissioner Barbara Deegan.
The arbitration proceedings started after the AIRC, on 24 July 2002, terminated the bargaining between the QNU and Queensland Health for a new enterprise bargaining agreement. The bargaining process included a lengthy and bitter industrial dispute, which saw nurses implement extensive work bans, including bed closures, in hospitals and community health facilities around the State.
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