Our chat with an anonymous NSWNMA delegate

1: On the 23rd of July the NSWNMA rallied for a 15% payrise, how successful was this action?

The stopwork in July was more an opener for the campaign than a particularly disruptive action, an escalation from the own time walkouts the month prior. It’s important to understand that last year the NSWNMA really powered down during negotiations so as to negotiate with the Ministry in good faith. This was in retrospect a strategic mistake, as although we won a new staffing model (SSL to replace NHPPD) by the signing of a memorandum of understanding, the most we got was a 4.5% pay rise, one below inflation and still leaving public health nurses & midwives in NSW the worst paid in the Commonwealth. Now with 10 rounds of failed negotiations, we are realising that the Labor state government is willing to put the budget before public health & have resorted at this late stage to remobilise.

[Editor’s note: SSL stands for ‘safe staffing levels’, which is a compromise from the original NMA Ratios claim. This arrangement will replace the NHPPD staffing model (nursing hours per patient day), as per the MOU signed last year.] 

2: On the 10th of September the union is also striking for 15% outside Minn’s office in Kogarah. This is a further escalation against the Labor party. What’s the feeling in the union right now about your chances of winning 15% and how much are you committed to further escalation?

The Association’s current relationship with the NSW ALP is marred with this fundamental contradiction – we need to keep the same state government to roll out our compromised staffing claim properly while simultaneously being antagonistic & threatening to withdraw support unless our demand of a 15% pay rise is met.

The likelihood of getting the 15% isn’t much of an issue as it is a necessity. There is no ambit to the 15%, in its entirety it’s required for us just to meet Queensland’s rates as to stop nurses fleeing to other states with smaller workloads, better conditions, higher pay and a cheaper cost Of living. Such is the necessity of the whole of this claim that rank & file members called for a special general meeting to raise this claim to 30% – one that failed & earned the condemnation of the union executive.

However, as the new staffing roll out requires retention, what claim there is must be fought for tooth and nail – to roll out the SSL staffing model in its entirety would have NSW Health require 1,800 FTE of nurses, and we aren’t even retaining staff let alone attracting them here.

So the likelihood isn’t particularly relevant – either there is some incentive for nurses to stay or the state will bleed.

3: In recent years you engaged in strike action for better ratios. What’s the situation like in this regard?

The current SSL claim is a compromise from the initial Ratios claim, to the dismay of many members. Concerns include that the ratios aren’t legislated, as they are in Victoria, and include AINs (assistants in nursing) rather than solely registered, endorsed, and enrolled nurses. Some of the biggest losers were regional MPSs (Multi Purpose Services) and mental health while specialists such as operating theatre staff and midwives aren’t likely to see direct effects in their staffing.

The roll-out has been tumultuous but slowly taking, with targeted Emergency Departments who would be well-resourced prioritised, before tackling other hospitals and their wards. However, the plan forward for the roll-out is not widely understood yet.

4: Why has the union started to act more directly against Labor now compared to during the election?

We have no choice, the Association has made the mistake of taking a Labor government at face value and it has hurt us. Unfortunately, however, what momentum there is from the strike wave has been lost and with inflation still wracking a world economy recovering from the lockdowns, remobilising our members has been difficult. If members don’t get a tangible win from these campaigns soon, members will leave the union, nurses & midwives will leave the state, our negotiating power will wane as will the capacity of an underfunded NSW Health to care for the population 

5: You recently had your annual conference, did anything of note come from it? 

Aside from jeering and heckling the visiting health minister, no. Reprisals to the rank & file’s special general meeting were met by a successful motion to increase the threshold that the membership can call an SGM – an already rare occurrence. The ruling Council moved to approve increasing the pay of our president which, despite the clear conflict of interest, was put early and passed. The Annual Conference was therefore rather lacklustre and the delegates had no clearer view of the strategic industrial action plan.

6: What’s the feeling in the union about how the Labor party and the ACTU have treated the CFMEU?

Left members are only further disappointed in Labor but as a whole the union leadership has refrained from comment. Between their failure to retain nurses & midwives as well as their persecution of the CFMEU, Labor continues to demonstrate how little a part of labour they actually are.