Media release – Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Tasmanian Branch, 3 August 2023
‘Consultation Complete on Nurses and Midwives Offer’
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Tasmanian Branch has concluded consultation on the Government’s offer to members following EA negotiations for a replacement Nurses and Midwives [Tasmanian State Service] Agreement.
The offer was presented to members across the state in all service areas via a range of forums over the last few weeks.
‘There have been mixed responses to the Agreement including positive feedback for some aspects of the offer, but certainly a view from some members that the retention and relief of burn out measures for existing nurses and midwives doesn’t go far enough’ said ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary, Emily Shepherd.
The ANMF has collated feedback, points of clarification and reaffirmed areas in need of additional consideration and inclusion in a final offer for members earlier this week. The key areas that members have requested consideration to be included in a final offer are on-call and overtime payments for NUM’s and DON’s, including those in district hospitals, increased annual leave, a personal leave ‘top up’ due to members sick leave being eroded during the COVID-19 pandemic, recognition of senior nurses and the inclusion of the right to disconnect in the agreement.
‘The ANMF is hopeful that the Government will consider these key priorities for members and return a final offer as quickly as possible to the ANMF so that a formal vote of members can be conducted’.
‘If the Government can consider these remaining key priorities for members and make provisions for these in a final offer, then I suspect that the offer would be well received by the vast majority of members.’
Media release – Anita Dow MP, Shadow Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, 3 August 2023
Government must listen to our nurses and midwives needs
The minority Liberal Government must act swiftly to negotiate a final pay offer that recognises and addresses their outstanding concerns and remaining key priorities of the ANMF and their membership.
Our hardworking and dedicated nurses and midwives are exhausted and running on empty.
Budget Estimates revealed that $25.9 million was spent on overtime for nurses to May 2023. This money could have been better spent on hiring new nurses to take pressures of the existing workforce.
The Rockliff Government and new Health Minister Guy Barnett must work constructively with the ANMF and its membership to provide improved workplace safety, measures to manage fatigue and burnout as well as deliver competitive wages.
The ANMF has consulted widely and in good faith with its membership and it’s time the Government did the same.
A Labor Government will work constructively with our nursing workforce and is committed to health workforce development ensuring all the health policies we announce are backed with genuine workforce attraction and retention measures.
The Liberal Government must work constructively and in good faith with the ANMF and its membership to reach an agreement.
