WA nurses take action

BY JACQUI LEE

PERTH — The lack of funding and resources has led to a crisis in Western Australia's hospital system. In the face of low pay and an ever-increasing workload, many nurses are leaving for better paid jobs.

Nurses are to take action against the major parties' lack of response to the crisis. A rally organised by the Australian Nursing Federation on January 5, attended by more than 400 nurses, resolutions were passed calling for improvements in pay and working conditions made intolerable by understaffing. A single employment agreement covering all enrolled, dental and mental health nurses was demanded as many are not included in the main agreement and have even worse conditions.

Nurses voted for a campaign of bed closures if improvements to the health system were not agreed to before the February 10 state election. The Liberal government ignored the demand, so the closures will begin on January 15. Nurses will refuse to allow beds to be occupied unless there is adequate staff available to look after the patients. Health minister John Day has condemned the nurses' actions as irresponsible.

The nurses' action is an example of the sort of fight back needed to defend the public health care system which is under attack from a government determined to allow it to waste away and be replaced by private operators driven by the profit motive.

From GLW issue 432