Nurses respond to Newman Government’s decision to delay nurse and midwife pay negotiations

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A Newman Government email announcing a decision to delay nurse and midwife pay negotiations has been sent to more than 30,000 Queensland Health workers.

Queensland Nurses’ Union (QNU) Secretary Beth Mohle said tens of thousands of nurses and midwives were shocked to learn enterprise bargaining negotiations due to start early next year had been put on hold. Ms Mohle said many were equally distressed to discover their personal email contact details had been accessed and violated without their knowledge.

She said it was not known how Health Minister Lawrence Springborg’s office obtained the personal email addresses or what the government planned to offer regarding a state-wide nurse and midwife pay increase due on 1 April 2015.

In the email, sent late on Monday afternoon, Mr Springborg stated nurse and midwife enterprise bargaining agreements had been extended from March 2015 to March 2016. In addition, it appeared the finalisation of the “modernisation” of the Queensland Health Nurses’ and Midwives’ Award State 2012 had also been delayed until December 2015.

Mr Springborg’s email did not explain how the freeze would impact nurse and midwife pay rises or working conditions in the meantime.

“The Queensland Nurses’ Union has been inundated with messages from distressed nurses and midwives, many who received an email from Minister Springborg via their personal email addresses late on Monday afternoon,’’ Ms Mohle said.

“Our members are extremely concerned about what this means for their pay and conditions and see it as a cynical, political exercise to avoid a dispute with public sector nurses and midwives in the lead up to the state election.

“We have written to Mr Springborg seeking urgent clarification on a number of critical issues so we can communicate this as soon as possible to our members.”

The concerns are outlined in the QNU’s response letter attached. The email sent to nurses and midwives by Minister Springborg’s office provided little information on how the sudden decision would impact wages and working conditions in the interim.

The QNU was not informed of the decision nor consulted prior to the email being distributed.

    Please find Ms Mohle’s letter of response outlining QNU concerns attached below.

http://www.qnu.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/525651/Health-Minister-3-Sept-14.pdf