After proposing a 15% increase in wages for NSW nurses last month, the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) has been given additional ammunition after Victorian public sector nurses were handed a 28.4% pay increase.
The pay rises are bad news for the aged care sector which already is short of 4000 Registered Nurses (RN). In April, data for the October-December 2023 quarter revealed only 805 aged care homes (32% of total homes) met both the mandatory 200 care minute target and the 40 Registered Nurses care minute target. From 1 October 2024, the Department of Health and Aged Care will mandate a sector-wide average of 215 care minutes per resident per day, including 44 minutes of direct care by an RN.
The Victorian pay rise, which will be phased in over four years, follows eight months of negotiations between the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) and the Victorian Government, and 51 days of industrial action.
“Even though Victoria’s budget is in the red, the government has still found a way to acknowledge the value of nurses and midwives, and pay them what they deserve,” said NSWNMA General Secretary, Shaye Candish (pictured).
“Here in NSW, we know our one-year 15% pay claim is justified and affordable.”
Last week, the NSWNMA, with Deloitte, released a Rapid Business Case outlining an estimated $233.4 million in savings they believe are available to the NSW Government in support of their argument for a pay rise.
NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary, Michael Whaites, said "The (NSW) Treasurer says he can’t afford to pay NSW nurses and midwives a 15% pay rise, but the evidence is showing he can’t afford not to.”
