NURSES and midwives will be given a 2.2 per cent wage increase from April 1 next year, Health Minister Lawrence Springborg will announce today via email and letter to more than 33,000 staff. The increase is on top of a $500 productivity bonus already agreed upon between nurses and the Government. The pay increase comes amid wrangling between the Queensland Nurses Union and the Newman Government over the Government’s planned award modernisation push. Mr Springborg had earlier sent an email to nurses and midwives informing them their enterprise bargaining agreements had been extended from March 2015 to March 2016. The Queensland Nurses Union had questioned what this meant for the next pay rise which was due by April 1. The payrise brings the total awarded to nurses since March 2012 to about 12 per cent.