Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF)

Nursing union activist and Socialist Alliance member Chris Jenkins explains the dispute between the Australia Nursing Federation WA and the WA government on the latest Green Left Show.

“We are heroes, but we are treated as zeros,” a NSW Nurses and Midwives Association nurse said at their fourth strike this year. Kerry Smith reports.

Nurses strike

New South Wales nurses and midwives took strike action across the state for mandated safe nurse-to-patient ratios and better pay and conditions. Kerry Smith reports.

Aged residents in care are dying at alarming rates from COVID-19, while the Prime Minister wastes precious time trying to convince us that the system is not in crisis. Jackie Kriz argues for a complete overhaul.

The nurses union has welcomed the recommendations of the royal commission into aged care but criticised its failure to mandate greater funding transparency for the largely private sector, reports Jim McIlroy.

Unions have launched a plan to tackle the “broken” aged care system and protect workers at the front line, reports Jim McIlroy.

The aged care system is showing all the signs of just how a degraded privatised sector works, writes Katherine Davis.

When public service unions in Tasmania realised the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak, they acted swiftly to protect workers, reports Jenny Forward.

Bupa Aged Care has agreed to a wage increase of 11.25% over three years after more than 1000 aged care nurses and carers in Victoria took part in protected industrial action affecting 26 nursing homes.

The new enterprise agreement also includes significant improvements to workplace entitlements and workload management.

About 800 aged care nurses and carers in 26 Victorian Bupa nursing homes are set to take protected industrial action.

The first stage will include wearing campaign t-shirts, handing out campaign materials, bans on certain paperwork and speaking to the media.

The Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has been negotiating with Bupa management for improved staffing levels, skill mix, wages and working conditions for the past 14 months.

Health services in Australia are resource intensive and a leading producer of waste and greenhouse gases, which contribute to global climate change.

The Victorian public healthcare system contributes 1% of Victoria’s total emissions and is estimated to be 2.8% of Victoria’s total ecological footprint.

Irene Bolger was branch secretary of the Victorian branch of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (RANF) when 20,000 nurses went on strike for 50 days in 1986. It was one of the longest strikes in Australian history and it was led by women.

Now, flipping through a stack of trade union and history books, Bolger says: “Lengthy on an international scale, it was 50 days of rage. But still I can't seem to find any reference to one of the most significant strikes in Australian history. The sexism continues."