Griffith nurses have been protesting pay and conditions for years and have influenced a landmark ruling. Photo: Helen Dalton MP.
Griffith health workers have helped shape a landmark ruling that will deliver pay rises of up to 28 per cent for nurses and midwives across New South Wales, with the state’s industrial umpire acknowledging the profession has been historically undervalued because it is female-dominated.
The NSW Industrial Relations Commission handed down the decision last week, awarding increases of between 16 and 28 per cent. In reaching its ruling, it heard first-hand evidence from two Griffith Base Hospital employees about the urgent need to attract and retain staff in regional areas.
The case went to arbitration after a breakdown in negotiations between the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) and the NSW Government. Over the past year, the union has staged multiple rallies, arguing NSW is losing nurses to Queensland and Victoria, where wages and conditions are better.
In its decision, the commission pointed to cost-of-living pressures, the critical value of nursing work and the comparatively low pay in what it described as a female-dominated profession. It concluded there was a need for a “one-off reset in rates of pay”.
Registered nurses and midwives will receive a 16 per cent increase, enrolled nurses 18 per cent, and assistants in nursing and midwifery a significant 28 per cent rise.
Evidence from Griffith played a key role in highlighting the real-world impact of staff shortages.
Julie Henderson, a former acting nursing director in Griffith, told the commission that due to unplanned leave and patient acuity, the ICU at Griffith Base Hospital was often forced to operate below capacity.
There were weekly occasions, she said, when only five of the six available ICU beds could be opened to ensure safe staffing levels.
Kristy Wilson, a Griffith nurse with more than 30 years’ experience, said the growing workload and complexity of care demanded better pay.
A number of nurses also gave evidence about the strain on hospitals struggling to recruit staff, and the flow-on effects for patient care.
Despite the pay boost, the union warns the decision falls short of what is needed to fix the system.
NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary Katrina Bough said the increases would not fully address the cost-of-living pressures or workforce shortages facing the sector.
“[The decision is] unlikely to assist in attracting new experienced nurses and midwives to our professions. It risks more experienced nurses and midwives leaving our public health system in coming years, which will result in increased staffing challenges in an already stressed system,” Ms Bough said.
“Nurses and midwives are struggling to pay the bills in this cost-of living crisis. While we welcome the boost to their wages, it doesn’t address the gap between male dominated industries and our heavily feminised workforce.
“The NSW Government cannot hide behind this decision. They must take responsibility for the ongoing crisis that will continue to be driven by a rate of pay that does not address gender undervaluation of nurses and midwives in NSW.”
