29 May 2006

Santoro stirs up nurses over pay comments
Nursing home pay rates confirm federal pay agenda

 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 today’s comments by the federal Minister for Ageing, Santo Santoro, about nurse pay rises, the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) said today.

The QNU was responding to comments, reported in today’s (29 May) Courier-Mail, in which Mr Santoro complains 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”.

QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said nurses are worth every cent they currently earn and decent pay rises, which are being negotiated and not granted by industrial commissions, are necessary if we are to rebuild nursing as an attractive career option.

“It is a pity the Federal Government doesn’t recognise that fact through its aged care funding and regulatory policies. Instead of complaining about long-overdue pay improvements for nurses, Mr Santoro should be matching public hospital pay rates in the aged care sector,” Ms Hawksworth said.

“The Federal Government is taxing people’s earnings, taxing their spending and running up huge surpluses, while pay rates in vital community services it funds, such as aged care, languish.

“If the March pay rise for public hospital nurses is accepted this week, experienced Level One registered nurses, working full time in aged care in Queensland, will be between $60.00 and $230.00 per week behind their colleagues at nearby public hospitals. Most will be well over $100.00 per week behind. Most enrolled nurses will also be well over $100.00 per week behind and most assistants in nursing will be over $80.00 per week behind their public hospital colleagues.

“These gaps will only get worse if any future pay rises have to be negotiated under the Federal Government’s restrictive new industrial relations laws. Mr Santoro’s solution is obviously to hold everyone’s wages down to the aged care rate, rather than properly value aged care nurses by lifting their rates to the public hospital rate.

“Is it any wonder the Federal Government is in deep water over industrial relations policy? We will certainly be letting 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,” Ms Hawksworth said.

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

11 May 2006

INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY – FRIDAY, 12 MAY
2006 theme - Safe staffing saves lives
Bundaberg nurse, Toni Hoffman, to address Brisbane breakfast

Nurses and their local communities around Queensland will celebrate International Nurses Day tomorrow - Friday, 12 May 2006. This year’s theme is Safe staffing saves lives.

The major event in Queensland will be a celebration breakfast in Brisbane, which will be addressed by Bundaberg Base Hospital nurse, Toni Hoffman, who received the 2006 Australian Local Hero of the Year award for the courage she displayed in exposing serious clinical and management problems at Bundaberg Base Hospital.

Brisbane International Nurses Day breakfast details

Date: Friday, 12 May 2006
Time: 7.30am
Venue: Carlton Crest Hotel, King George Square, Brisbane
Keynote speaker: Toni Hoffman RN

Toni will discuss her own experiences at Bundaberg during the so-called “Dr Patel” period and the range of factors, not just staffing levels, that influence safe staffing in health care services.

Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said International Nurses Day gives the general public and nurses, in every city, suburb and town throughout Queensland, a chance to reflect on the vital work nurses do in the community.

“It is a chance to recall and celebrate the magnificent contribution hundreds of thousands of nurses have made to Queensland over the years and the importance of nursing to everyone’s personal and social well-being – both now and in the future.

“This years theme – Safe staffing saves lives – is a timely reminder that a safe work and clinical environment, achieved through such things as reasonable workload levels, good occupational health and safety systems, open and effective accountability processes and receptive management, is necessary to quality patient care and the saving and rebuilding of people’s lives.

 
“In hospitals, health facilities and aged care facilities throughout the State nurses are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to provide care for the sick, injured and elderly. If they are able to do this work safely then better patient care is achieved and lives are saved.

“This year’s theme also reminds us that we need to keep people in nursing so we can provide safe staffing levels in our health and aged care facilities. There is a serious nurse shortage across Australia and around the world. That shortage has made it difficult at times to maintain safe staffing levels.

“So we must do everything we can to solve this problem so we can maintain safe staffing levels in our hospitals and aged care facilities. As we celebrate nursing around the State, and around the world, tomorrow we should also take some time to reflect on this important challenge,” Ms Hawksworth said.

There are nearly 50,000 registered and enrolled nurses in Queensland. Queensland also has about 5,000 assistants in nursing. International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday – May 12.

EDITORS/CHIEFS-OF-STAFF PLEASE NOTE

As well as the Brisbane breakfast, local celebrations are also being held in hospitals, nursing homes and other health facilities around the State tomorrow. Local nurses, hospital and health-care officials should be able to provide you with information on the diverse work being done by nurses in your region.

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