Media release – Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Tasmanian Branch, 28 July 2022

ANMF MEMBERS GATHER FOR MORE STRIKE ACTION AT THE HOBART REPATRIATION HOSPITAL
STRIKE ACTION

When: 2pm, TODAY, Thursday 28 July 2022
Where: Hobart Repatriation Hospital, 90 Davey Street
Speakers: Emily Shepherd (ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary)

After an exceptional turnout yesterday outside the Royal Hobart Hospital, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Tasmanian Branch is holding further strike action at the Hobart Repatriation Hospital, urging the state government to implement safer workloads and ensure quality patient care.

Emily Shepherd, ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary said yesterday’s incredible turnout has buoyed members to continue their industrial action.

“We had more than 300 nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing, and 200 additional virtual attendees turnout to ensure their voices were heard. It sent a very strong message to the government that enough is enough.”

The state government has offered to start Enterprise Agreement (EA) negotiations early if the ANMF stops the strike action and vacates the Workload and Workforce Dispute in the Tasmanian Industrial Commission (TIC).

Ms Shepherd said bringing forward negotiations was not the answer and said nurses were asking for conditions they were already entitled to under the current agreement.

“We don’t want to sit down to negotiations and negotiate existing entitlements that need to be met.

“There’s an obligation on the Tasmanian government to meet those entitlements such as safe staffing, ensuring that there are safe workloads, ensuring our members aren’t working onerous amounts of double shifts and overtime – that is already an entitlement in the existing agreement.”

In addition, the ANMF is seeking a variety of immediate clinical resources, such as clinical coaches, to provide support to nurses and midwives through their own individual novice to expert transition.

“We’re hoping the government will come to the table with concrete solutions we can put back to members and, potentially, call off our strike action.

“If not, then our members have resolved to escalate their strike action, and that might mean striking for longer than 15 minutes, and it will also include the ANMF considering arbitration on the issues before the Tasmanian Industrial Commission,” Ms Shepherd said.

Strike action is planned at the Launceston General Hospital next Wednesday at 1.30pm, and there are also plans for two in the north-west.

Letter – Registered Nurse, northern Tasmania, 28 July 2022

Letter to the Premier

We are not working tirelessly; we are absolutely exhausted. We have been gaslighted for long enough and the ‘thanks’ is not enough to compensate for the work and responsibility we have.

We are constantly told by management never to show our patients the distress of being understaffed, but when we are running out of chairs or beds in our clinic and there are up to 10 patients waiting for an average 1-2 hours for their treatment- what can we say?

I’m not taking the blame for the lack of patient safety anymore. I have a lot of passion for my work, but more often than not, I am wondering if I’d be better off packing boxes in a warehouse for the same pay than day in and day out risk people’s lives due to the unsafe staffing and working conditions.

And I am not alone. We are in full PPE during our shift, not able to have a sip of water until the measly 30 min lunch break we get – we are dehydrated! When I vent about my day to friends that have office jobs or other ‘normal jobs’ they get shocked at the working conditions we have in a country like Australia, meanwhile this has become the norm.

I am tired. And if it doesn’t improve soon, I will put my scrubs to rest for good.