Have your Say

Letter Of The Month

All eyes on the rainbow scrubs

I was lucky enough to experience participating in my first Mardi Gras parade last year as part of the NSWNMA entry, and it was so humbling and emotional to be greeted by the cheers of the crowd calling out “Thank you!” to nurses and midwives, which felt amazing after two long years of COVID-19.

This year, Sydney will be hosting the international LGBTQI festival World Pride, a fabulous event that brings together members of the LGBTQI community from across the globe to celebrate.

The NSWNMA will be marching this year with our colleagues from across the country under the banner of “A Better Healthcare System for All – A Dream Worth Fighting For”. For nurses and midwives this is such an important message, as the pandemic has certainly drawn the public’s attention to the cracks and failures in our healthcare system.

As nurses and midwives, our common dream is to work for a system that treats everyone with fairness and compassion, no matter who they are or where they are from. We would also like a better healthcare system for ourselves! Imagine coming to work and not feeling overwhelmed and afraid due to your patient load? I am excited to be able to share with the public this dream of what our healthcare system could be like, as we march down Oxford Street this year.

If you are watching the Mardi Gras this year, keep an eye out for the rainbow scrubs on the NSWNMA float and give us a cheer!

Emma Gedge, Wollongong Hospital Midwife and Councillor

If there’s something on your mind, send us a letter and have your say. The letter of the month will WIN a gift card. The letter judged best each month will receive a $50 Coles Group and Myer gift card.

Our actions are historic

At the Mater and St Vincent’s Private Hospitals, NSWNMA branch members have embarked on a campaign for nurseto-patient ratios, better working conditions and fair pay rises, as part of our Enterprise Agreement negotiations.

St Vincent’s Health Australia (SVHA) delayed bargaining for over 12 months, which prompted a campaign by members and a petition, signed by over 1,200 staff, seeking a commitment for change from the SVHA executive.

In response, SVHA offered a wage increase much lower than inflation and no commitment to nurse/midwife to patient ratios.

In late November, we escalated our campaign and successfully applied to the Fair Work Commission for a protected action ballot, with members overwhelmingly voting in support of protected industrial action.

On 22 December, hundreds of nurses and midwives at the Mater in North Sydney and at St Vincent’s Private in Darlinghurst joined in one-hour stop work rallies.

This action was historic and marked the first time in over 30 years nurses and midwives at the Mater and St Vincent’s Private had taken industrial action.

NSWNMA members at both hospitals have continued the campaign for ratios by taking part in ongoing protected action wearing badges, speaking with patients, handing out flyers and refusing to do overtime and other non-domestic duties.

Nurses and midwives are working long overtime hours, are constantly short staffed, and are afraid the ongoing poor working conditions will lead to a catastrophic event for a patient or staff member.

Members are frustrated their pleas for more help are being ignored.

Suzanna Ersotelos, Assistant Secretary, Mater Hospital, North Sydney

How management manipulates NHPPD

During December 2022, NSWNMA Coffs Harbour Hospital Branch commenced closure of beds on Medical B Ward. This was in response to local management’s inaction to verbal and written escalation of concerns regarding both nurse and patient safety, due to excessive overtime being relied upon to operate at full capacity. After two days of bed closures, the branch voted to temporarily pause our action as management agreed to enter serious negotiations with the NSWNMA. Management has made it clear that the NHPPD for the ward has consistently been met; however, evident is their omission of the physiological and mental toll the methods being used has had on nursing staff, and the risk to patient safety.

This action has demonstrated how easily NHPPD can be manipulated. For example, the deployment of nurses in positions such as CNE; using nurses with inappropriate skill set from other units, leaving the ward short-staffed; and through the use of excessive overtime. Our branch currently remains in active negotiations.

Branch members would like to thank NSWNMA officers for their time and ongoing support throughout this action. We know this is not isolated to one ward or one hospital, and we hope to empower others to continue fighting for the safety of nurses and patients.

Sue White, Coffs Harbour NSWNMA Branch Vice President and Councillor

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Politicians can’t hide from nurses and midwives

With less than two months until the state election, nurses and midwives need to make sure our voices are heard now more than ever. On Saturday 25 March, NSW will make a choice whether to continue with business as usual or demand change. COVID-19 has highlighted to the community how vulnerable our public health system is. But let’s be honest, we all know the systemic issues within the public health system were there prior to COVID-19 and continue today.

I know it’s not an easy task, especially after the last few years; we’re going to have to dig deep. But our patients and consumers, our colleagues, and the wider community need us to hang in there. The NSW Government needs to know we aren’t backing down and we won’t stop until our public health system is adequately resourced. As expected, in the lead-up to an election, there’s going to be drama, and lots of it. So, it’s imperative we don’t allow the current state government to use the drama as a distraction tactic or, in their usual style, to divide and conquer. Both sides of politics need to know they can’t run away from our public health system and the nurses and midwives!

Skye Romer, NSWNMA Councillor, Prince of Wales