BY KERRY VERNON
BRISBANE — Queensland's nurses have begun a state-wide industrial campaign after rejecting a state government offer that was one-third of what the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) has sought. Gay Hawksworth, QNU state secretary, said the Labor government's offer was "massively inadequate".
"The nursing crisis has reached a point in Queensland where services are being cut and, even in hospitals, registered nurses are being replaced by unlicensed staff. In Queensland public hospitals, official nurse vacancies blew out from 500 in 1999 to more than 800 in November 2001", said Hawksworth.
In February, Queensland Health found that 2500 nursing shifts per week were not filled. Agency or casual nurses filled another 1200 shifts.
According to Hawksworth, QNU members know the situation is much worse. "In November, the official vacancy figure for Royal Brisbane Hospital was 15, but our members say it was more than 100. Staff shortages like this are regularly causing the cancellation of elective surgery and other services", Hawksworth said.
"It is time for the state government to address the issues causing the crisis. That means acting on poor pay and working conditions, excessive and unsafe workloads and the entrenched culture within the health sector that undervalues nurses and nursing work", argued Hawksworth.
The QNU launched a campaign in March for improved wages, safe workloads and safer workplaces. The enterprise agreement negotiations between the QNU and the state government are a central feature of the campaign. The previous public hospitals agreement ended May 31.
The QNU's demands include: a 6% pay rise in each year of the agreement, backdated to June 1; an immediate 6% equity adjustment to bring nurses' wages into line with other equivalent health professionals; a range of increased allowances and incentives for nurses to undertake specialised training and education; reasonable working hours and overtime restricted to a maximum of two hours per day; uninterrupted 30-minute meal breaks; free, safe car parking at all hospitals and health facilities; 14 weeks' paid maternity leave; and breaks of not less than 10 hours between shifts.
Nurses have collected more than 27,000 signatures in a public petition campaign. Work bans are in place at a large number of workplaces. There have been stoppages at more than 25 hospitals and nursing homes.
From Green Left Weekly, June 19, 2002.
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