6 August 2007
Fijian nurses’ strike is fully justified
Australian government should object to nurse pay cuts
Pay cuts will only intensify the international nurse shortage
 The Australian Government should object in the strongest possible terms to the current Fijian Government’s policy of cutting nurse pay by five per cent, the NSW Nurses Association (NSWNA) said today.
NSWNA general secretary, Brett Holmes, said that, as the world faces one of the most serious nurse shortages in history, no government, anywhere in the world, should be cutting nurses’ pay.
“Striking Fijian nurses have the full support of the NSWNA in their campaign to reverse these appalling pay cuts,” Mr Holmes said.
About 1500 Fijian nurses have been on strike for more than a week, protesting against pay cuts of five per cent imposed by the interim military government, which recently took power in a coup. In the last few days another 7000 civil servants, including teachers, engineers, drivers, chefs, clerks and labourers, also started strike action over the interim government’s pay policies.
Mr Holmes said the Australian Government should also warn the Fijian military that any draconian or excessive action against the striking workers would be unacceptable to the international community.
“The world faces a serious nurse shortage and countries like Fiji are already losing nurses to places like Australia, Europe and North America. Reducing pay for local nurses is a disastrous policy and suggests the victory of bean counters over genuine economic managers.
“Economic management is about more than managing the budget. It is also about ensuring services can be delivered and that jobs vital to society, such as nursing, are properly valued. This is a debate we had in NSW a few years ago and the State Government had the wisdom to fund any pay rise granted to deal with the growing nurse shortage affecting this State and country.
“Yet now we have a nearby government, in a country that can ill afford to treat nurses like this, going in the opposite direction.
“It will be interesting to see just how much interest the Australian Government takes in the welfare of our valued Fijian neighbours and their nurses. Will it make the necessary diplomatic intervention to defend professions vital to Fiji such as nursing?” Mr Holmes said.
3 August 2007
 Local hospital managers should cancel elective surgery to free up hospital beds as winter and norovirus hit - Emergency Department nurses are dangerously stretched
Local hospital managers should cancel elective surgery so emergency departments can better cope with the impact of a severe winter and the norovirus outbreak, the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) said today.
QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said the Health Minister has made it clear that local hospital managers have this power and the QNU believes they should use it.
“This has been a very cold, severe winter and that has put enormous pressure on hospitals and their staff. The norovirus outbreak in a number of major hospitals has also increased staff sick leave and taken up more beds,” Ms Hawksworth said.
“The fact is, emergency department nurses across the State are exhausted to the point that quality care is at risk. Staff sick leave is up and patient arrivals have escalated this winter. Local managers must free up beds in the wards to deal with this serious situation. The quickest way to do that is cancel elective surgery until things settle down.
“The Federal Government’s aged care policy debacle is a major contributor to the seriousness of the situation, because of the large number of people in hospital beds who should be in nursing homes and the large number of people coming back from nursing homes to hospital. However, that can’t be fixed quickly enough to deal with the current situation.
“Regrettably, the quickest way to free up beds is to cancel elective surgery. This is the only effective short-term solution. The QNU will be carefully monitoring the performance of local hospital managers, during this winter crisis, to ensure they use the powers they have to relieve the pressure at their hospital,” Ms Hawksworth said.
» Link to Queensland emergency departments is crisis article from Union Update
1 August 2007
Power grab concern - Federal takeover no solution to hospital crisis
The ANF today expressed serious concern about John Howard’s proposed takeover of Tasmania’s Mersey Hospital saying it will not resolve the underlying problem of attracting medical specialists to the area.
ANF Federal Secretary Jill Iliffe described the announcement by Mr Howard to take control of the hospital as a ‘power driven political stunt’.
“This hospital has experienced difficulties for some time and those difficulties will not be resolved by an ill-considered takeover by the Howard Government in an election year,” Ms Iliffe said. “The problems faced by the hospital are not about lack of funding or poor management they are a direct result of the inability to attract medical specialists who can provide the required medical services to the community.
“The lack of consultation with the Tasmanian Government is a real concern. John Howard is behaving like a despot. If he really wanted to assist with solving the problem, consultation with the Tasmanian Government, doctors, nurses and the community is essential. You don’t solve a problem by just throwing money at it.
“It is difficult to comprehend why Health Minister Tony Abbott is refusing to engage in consultations with the States on the next round of Australian Health Care Agreements while at the same time Mr Howard is going to extraordinary lengths to intervene in the operation of Tasmania’s health system.
“Tony Abbott also chose not to attend the Australian Health Care Reform Alliance health summit in Canberra this week. Not the actions of a government concerned about health care.
“If John Howard is genuinely concerned about health care delivery across the country he should sit down and listen to all the key stakeholders in health who have been campaigning for improvements in the system for many years now,” Ms Iliffe said.
Ms Iliffe urged John Howard to resist political grandstanding and instead hold constructive talks with the Tasmanian Government that will lead to long term solutions for the people of Tasmania.
| 
