27 June 2006

Off duty Qld nurses will join tomorrow’s Day of Action against the Howard Government’s attack on their rights at work
Nurses upset by Liberal attacks on their pay rises
Three Qld Liberals have confirmed the Howard Government is about cutting pay

Many off-duty Queensland nurses, from all sectors, are expected to join tomorrow’s (28 June) national Day of Action against the Howard Government’s attack on their rights at work.

Rallies and marches are being held in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Maryborough, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Blackwater and Moura. A similar rally is being held in Bundaberg on Friday (30 June)

Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said nurses are very concerned about the new federal industrial relations laws and how they could eventually erode their penalty rates, shift allowances and other working conditions that help keep people in nursing.

“Queensland nurses have also been angered by recent attacks on their pay rates, and the latest pay rise for public hospital nurses, by three prominent Queensland Liberals – the Minister for Ageing, Santo Santoro, Member for Herbert, Peter Lindsay, and Senator Ian MacDonald,” Ms Hawksworth said.

“These attacks confirm for nurses that the Howard Government wants to cut or hold down the pay and conditions of hardworking Australians like them. That is why I would not be surprised to see a reasonable contingent of nurses at tomorrow’s rallies around the State.

“Nurses normally find it hard to get to these events, because they run an emergency service and many are shift workers. However, they are becoming more concerned about the Howard Government’s workplace agenda and what it could mean for their take home pay and their profession.

“I again challenge anyone who doubts that the Howard Government’s agenda is to cut pay rates across society to look at wage trends in the aged care industry over the last ten years and the comments of these three Queensland Liberals. Their preferred option is obviously to hold everyone’s wages down to the aged care rates, rather than properly value aged care nurses by lifting their rates to the public hospital rate.
 
“Any attempt to impose these lower aged care wage rates onto other health sectors would significantly compromise our efforts to overcome the current serious nurse shortage.

“I also warn the community that any attempt to remove things such as penalty rates and shift allowances or reduce leave entitlements for nurses would have a devastating impact on the profession and jeopardise efforts to rebuild nursing as an attractive career option

“For these reasons the QNU will continue to let nurses across Queensland know just what value the Howard Government puts on their work and how it resents the pay rises they are currently achieving. Is it any wonder the Federal Government is in deep water over industrial relations policy?” Ms Hawksworth said.

In Federal Parliament recently (13 June), Mr Lindsay opened a speech on nurses’ pay with:

I rise to bring to the attention of the parliament my concerns about the impact of the Queensland government’s offer to irresponsibly increase wage levels for public sector nurses in Queensland.

In a speech to the Senate, Senator MacDonald also attacked the impact of the pay rise.

On May 29 Mr Santoro complained, in the Courier-Mail, that recent nurse pay rises are “making it difficult to operate nursing homes” and that “State industrial relations commissions continued to approve large pay rises for nurses within a sector already struggling with staff shortages”.

Media inquiries: Gay Hawksworth 07-3840 1444; 0419-726 678
   John Moran 07-3366 9010; 0410-603 278

19 June 2006

Lindsay’s attack on Qld nurses’ pay rise confirms the Howard Government is about cutting pay

Member for Herbert, Peter Lindsay’s, intemperate attack on the recently agreed pay rise for Queensland public hospital nurses confirms the Howard Government wants to cut or hold down the pay and conditions of hardworking Australians, the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) said today.

In Federal Parliament last week (9.04pm on Tuesday, 13 June), Mr Lindsay opened his speech on the issue with:

I rise to bring to the attention of the parliament my concerns about the impact of the Queensland government’s offer to irresponsibly increase wage levels for public sector nurses in Queensland.

QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said Mr Lindsay has confirmed for public hospital nurses what aged care nurses have known for some time – the Howard Government and its supporters, such as Mr Lindsay, undervalue nurses.

“If anyone is in any doubt that the Howard Government’s agenda is to cut pay rates across society they should have a look at wage trends in the aged care industry over the last ten years and this speech by Mr Lindsay,” Ms Hawksworth said.

“The QNU is certainly making sure nurses know about Mr Lindsay’s attack on their pay rates. We have today written to all our members in his electorate advising them of his comments. There is little doubt the next federal election will be dominated by this whole issue of industrial relations.

“The point is, this extra support for nursing from the State Government compares very favourably with the Federal Government’s controversial funding and regulatory policies in aged care and its hands-off approach to nurse wage and staffing levels.

“A couple of examples in Townsville prove just how poorly the current Federal Government treats nurses. A full-time, experienced assistant in nursing (AIN) at Pallarenda Garden Settlement is currently on about $625.00 per week and at the Good Shepherd Nursing Home he or she is on about $610.00.
 
“An equivalent AIN at the Townsville Hospital is on about $705.00. That’s nearly $80.00 per week or $4000.00 per year in both cases and it’s all because the Federal Government is committed to driving wages down in as many areas of the economy as possible.

“A full-time, experienced registered nurse at Pallarenda is currently on about $943.00 per week. At Good Shepherd they are on $913.00. At the Townsville Hospital the equivalent general ward nurse is on about $1062.00. That’s a difference of more than $100.00 per week and shows how undervalued all nursing would be if the current Federal Government gets it way on industrial relations.

“Now people like Mr Lindsay are trying to push their low-pay policies into the private hospitals. They seem to forget that their low-pay policies contributed to one of the most severe nurse shortages this country has faced for a long time. The undervaluing of nursing, compared to many other similar jobs, led to less people entering and staying in the nursing profession. We are actually assisting private hospitals in the long term by re-establishing nursing as an attractive career option.

“The real problem for private hospitals, according to private hospital leaders themselves, is the cut in payments to hospitals from the health insurance companies. This is despite the huge taxpayer subsidies, worth billions each year, paid to the private health insurance companies. Private hospital leaders told the Australian newspaper in March this year (Weekend Australian, 4/3/06) that:

‘Private hospitals are struggling to survive, with insurance companies cutting the amount of funding they are allocating for basic services such as nurses. Doctors working in private hospitals are experiencing growth in payments from private health insurance providers of 10 per cent a year. But the hospitals themselves have seen growth in payments fall from 18 per cent in 2001 to three per cent in the December quarter of last year.’

“So the Federal Government can stop blaming nurses pay rates for its failed aged care and private health insurance funding policies. Nurses, like so many other people, now know attacks like this are all about driving their wages and conditions down and reducing their rights at work,” Ms Hawksworth said.

Nurses working in Queensland public hospitals recently voted overwhelmingly to accept a new enterprise bargaining agreement, which provides general ward nurses with a 20 per cent pay rise, after compounding, over the next three years. The new agreement also contains a range of other improvements in working conditions including extra paid maternity and adoption leave, pro-rata long service leave after seven years, improved superannuation and better professional development arrangements.

Media inquiries: Gay Hawksworth 07-3840 1444
   John Moran 07-3366 9010; 0410-603 278

2 June 2006

Qld public hospital nurses accept 20% pay rise over three years

Nurses working in Queensland public hospitals have voted overwhelmingly to accept a new enterprise bargaining agreement which provides general ward nurses with a 20 per cent pay rise, after compounding, over the next three years. They have already received a four per cent interim rise in October last year, which brings the total pay rise for most Queensland nurses to 25 per cent (compounded).

The latest pay rise is made up of:

3.5 per cent or $26.25 per week, whichever is greater, from 27 March 2006;
4.0 per cent or $30.00 per week, whichever is greater, from 26 October 2006;
4.0 per cent or $30.00 per week, whichever is greater, from 1 July 2007;
4.0 per cent or $30.00 per week, whichever is greater, from 1 July 2008; and
3.5 per cent or $26.25 per week, whichever is greater, from 1 December 2008.

That means general ward nurses will receive a  $10,971.00 increase, taking their annual base rate of pay from $53,525.00 to $64,496.00 by December 2008. They get an immediate pay rise of about $36.00 per week, back-dated to 27 March 2006.

Most nurses managing wards and units – Nurse Unit Managers – will, in that time, see their base rate go from $66,929.00 to $86,416.00 – and increase of $19,487.00 or 29 per cent (compounded).

As well as significant pay rises, the new agreement also contains a range of other improvements in working conditions including:

• Paid maternity and adoption leave - an increase from six weeks to 12 weeks paid leave, effective from 1 July 2005.

• Pro-rata long service leave after seven years.

• Superannuation - employees who receive the 9 per cent superannuation contribution will, effective from 1 July 2006, have this contribution calculated at their ordinary time earnings, including such things as penalty payments (currently superannuation contributions are calculated on base salary).

 
• Increases in allowances – for example, night shift allowance for most hospital nurses will increase from 17 to 20 per cent.

• Better professional development arrangements – for example, three days professional development leave a year.

The vote was counted today and 11,455 nurses, out of an eligible 24,244, voted. The YES vote, to accept the agreement, was 8102 (71 per cent).

QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said much of the new agreement is a response to the recent Forster Review of Queensland Health, which found serious morale problems amongst nursing staff.

“The improvements, including the significant pay rises, contained in the agreement are designed to make Queensland Health a more attractive employer for nurses and better value the vital contribution nurses make to the running of the State’s public health system.

“But the emphasis should not just be on pay, as important as that is. There are other important improvements that will make nursing in Queensland Health a more attractive career option, especially the improvements in professional and career development.

“The jump in the night shift allowance should also make this very unappealing shift more palatable and assist in putting rosters together.

“On balance I think Queensland Health, Queensland nurses and the Queensland people will be better off because of this agreement and it should assist the rebuilding of our public hospital and health system,” Ms Hawksworth said.

End

Media inquiries: Gay Hawksworth 07-3840 1444
   John Moran 07-3366 9010; 0410-603 278