Tamworth nurses to walk off the job for 24 hours in strike escalation

The local branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action on Wednesday and Thursday, with 97.4 per cent of members voting yes.

New England region organiser, Nola Scilinato, said branch members were "quite angry" and felt they hadn't been listened to by the government.

"They feel that this is a last resort and that they have no other choice and they're very disappointed that their employer is not really respecting the work," she said.

"They feel a bit betrayed by the government that they turn up for work every single day, do double shifts and they expect to be looked after, and they're not."

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The union is calling for a pay rise of 4.75 per cent, nurse to patient ratios on every shift and a boost to maternity staffing. The pay rise would be in excess of the government public service pay cap.

Ms Scilinato said members were forced to take constant double-shifts as a result of widespread vacancies in a system in "crisis".

The Tamworth hospital's maternity ward is 12 full-time-equivalent staff short, about 25 per cent of their authorised strength, she said.

"People don't know what else to do. All they can do is withdraw their labour and that's what they're doing," she said.

"I think it's a bit of a cry for help. People are worried that older nurses are thinking 'I don't want to do this anymore'."

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A spokesperson for NSW Health said the government and the department had engaged in extensive talks with the union.

"We continue to engage in talks and remain hopeful of making progress," he said.

"NSW Health acknowledges the health workforce has worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. NSW Health recognises and is thankful for its committed workforce."

The spokesperson said the current award nursing hours per patient day framework had been agreed to by the union before being authorised by the Industrial Relations Commission in 2010-11.

He said the nursing hours per patient day model helps to ensure the right number of nurses are in the right place at the right time.

Between 2012 and 2021, the nursing workforce and midwifery workforce in NSW increased by 9,599 full-time equivalent staff, or 23 per cent.

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Nurses across NSW walked off the job in February, for the first time in a decade. In Tamworth, union members went on strike for just 4 hours.

The full-day strike is set for March 31, and is an escalation of the union's industrial campaign.

Hospitals will remain open, but at skeleton staffing numbers similar to the nighttime shift.

Nurses and midwives will rally in front of the Tamworth hospital at 10am.

"The pandemic has exposed the deficits in the system. And it's a broken system and we need it fixed," Ms Scilinato said.

"As a rich country we should be prepared to pay for a well-resourced health system."

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