More strike action for Tomaree Community Hospital nursing staff Port POPUP - DAupdate Port Stephens Port Stephens News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - November 20, 2024 Tomaree Community Hospital staff with Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson in Nelson Bay. STAFF from Tomaree Community Hospital gathered at Nelson Bay Marina last Thursday, to raise awareness of their fight for fair pay and working conditions. It was the result of negotiations with the NSW Government again failing to result in a satisfactory pay offer. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) is calling for a fifteen percent pay increase, and has previously knocked back a 10.5 percent pay rise over three years. “We feel we’re still not being heard,” said Megan Chippindale of the NSWNMA. “We’re hoping to get community members to sign petitions to our MPs in support of the NSWNMA campaign for better conditions.” Despite recent satisfactory pay rises and condition settlements for some services such as NSW Fire and Paramedic staff and a historic 40 percent rise for NSW Police, the NSWNMA says its members are not being treated fairly and retention is increasingly becoming a serious issue. “We do not begrudge the other services their pay rises, far from it, but the Government needs to understand that offering us three percent and welcoming nursing staff from New Zealand and other countries, is not the definitive answer,” said Nurse Tracey Richardson. “Once these new workers arrive, they’ll realise very quickly that our conditions of work and pay are still by far the worst in Australia, and they’ll either move interstate or into other areas of employment, joining the many senior staff members we are continuing to lose.” Members moved through Nelson Bay to share their reasons for the strike. “We randomly ran into Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson,” Ms Chippindale said, “hopefully she understands our cause and will help us to push the message through.” Ahead of strikes across the state last week, the NSW Government accused the union of backtracking on an agreement to accept a three percent increase. “While the government has acted in good faith in delivering on the interim pay rise, regrettably, the association has backtracked on its commitment and called a strike,” a spokesperson for Health Minister Ryan Park said. More strikes are planned across NSW. By Simon EKINS Spreading awareness of the reasons for the latest strike action. Staff from Tomaree Community Hospital at Nelson Bay Marina.
