8 December 2005
Queensland public hospital nurses accept four per cent interim pay rise
More than 20,000 nurses at more than 400 Queensland public hospitals and other health facilities will receive a 4.0 per cent or $30.00 per week, whichever is greater, pay rise backdated to 26 October 2005.
This follows their overwhelming acceptance of a five-month interim enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiated between the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) and Queensland Health. More than 80 per cent of nurses who voted, voted to accept the interim EBA. The vote was counted yesterday afternoon (7 December).
The pay rise applies to nurses in Queensland public hospitals and outpatient centres, primary and community health care facilities, State Government aged care facilities and the Mater public hospitals.
The five-month interim EBA has been negotiated to give public sector nurses an immediate wage increase, while a full agreement is finalised early next year. This full agreement, which is scheduled to be finalised by 26 March 2006, will take into account the recommendations of the Forster Review of Queensland Health and the need to attract and retain nurses in the public hospital system.
As well as providing an immediate pay rise the interim agreement also provides for increases in various allowances and improvements to various other working conditions, including improved access to long service, annual and parental leave. For example, paid parental leave has been increased from six to 12 weeks, effective 1 July 2005.
QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said this is only an interim pay rise and the QNU expects significant further improvements to nurse wages and conditions, especially in terms of attraction and retention payments, in the next full agreement.
“Negotiations for that new EBA will resume in January and we hope to have them finalised by the end of March,” Ms Hawksworth said. | 
