29 November 2006

Private hospital nurses-pay votes prove Howard has a tiger by the tail

Nurses to wear badges at work as part of tomorrow’s National Day of Action against the Howard Government’s attack on their rights at work

Nurses will continue caring for their patients during tomorrow’s (30 November) National Day of Action against the Howard Government’s attack on their rights at work, but many on-duty nurses across Queensland will wear Your Rights at Work badges to highlight their opposition to the new federal industrial relations laws.

However, many off-duty Queensland nurses, from all healthcare sectors, are expected to join tomorrow’s rallies and Sky Channel broadcast around the State.

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

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

“Recent pay-deal ballots at a number of Queensland private hospitals prove this fact. Nurses have voted down, by big margins, substandard pay agreements. There is no doubt the Howard Government has a very live and angry tiger by the tail when it comes to this issue. A group of usually very easy-going, ordinary Australians are digging in against attempts by private hospital employers to use the Howard Government’s new laws to undermine their pay and conditions.

”That is the extent to which this government has alienated ordinary wage and salary earners. I suspect it is in serious trouble over this and this is not something that will necessarily show up in quantitative polling at this stage. However, it is a very real issue and, as these ballots show – at places such as Toowong Private Hospital, Belmont Private Hospital and Brisbane Private Hospital - it is biting,” Ms Hawksworth said.

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

28 November 2006

Gold Coast hospital staff to rally today over parking concerns
Lack of action by management and council infuriates staff

Nurses and other staff at the Gold Coast Hospital will rally outside the hospital at 1.30pm today (28 November) as part of their ongoing campaign for safe car parking at the hospital.

The campaign was stepped up in late October following an attack on a staff member as she was getting into her car near the hospital after work. Staff are angry that in the month since then very little effective action has been taken by hospital management or the Gold Coast City Council to alleviate the parking problems at and around the hospital.

Today’s rally details
Date: Tuesday, 28 November 2006
Time: 1.30pm
Venue: Nerang Street entrance to hospital

After the attack hospital staff met on October 27 to:

• consider the adequacy of District, Queensland Health and Gold Coast City Council measures to address car parking and security issues for health workers, patients, relatives, visitors, and clients of GCH - Southport Campus; and
• determine an agreed collective response to get the problems with security and staff and visitor car parking at Gold Coast Hospital fixed – this included the establishment of a campaign committee.

The staff want nearby State Government land released for staff parking and a Queensland Health-sponsored shuttle bus service to run between the car park and hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

They also want personal duress alarms issued free-of-charge to all staff and a Police Beat station established at the Gold Coast Hospital Southport.

The issuing of duress alarms is the only thing that has been addressed so far.

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