Industrial News 2006

March 2006

Have your say on WorkChoices

As part of the ACTU Your Rights at Work Campaign, Australian unions have been seeking the views of workers about the likely impact of the federal govern-ment’s changes to industrial laws, commonly referred to as WorkChoices.

In the campaign section of the ANF website (www.anf.org.au) we asked nurses to tell us what they think the changes will mean to their employment, families and the nursing profession.

The response to this call was immediate and overwhelming with hundreds of nurses taking the time to reply.

As expected with any diverse group of people, the responses vary from those who implacably oppose the changes to those who embrace them and question the ACTU campaign.

For example:

                ‘I think the IR changes will impact on nurses’ quality of life. I’m concerned that we will lose our penalty rates and this will create a skill shortage, as recruiting new staff will be difficult. The changes will divide workplaces. Staff who are better at negotiating their work conditions will benefit over those less able or less confident. Instead of being a fairer, simpler system, it will be a system of employers exploiting workers.’

And,

                ‘I started work nursing 40 years ago and work 8.30-5pm four days a week as a clinical nurse specialist in aged care, so the IR changes will probably not directly affect me right now but, who will nurse me if I need nursing home care in the future? The staffing of aged care facilities and ongoing problems [mean] we rely on AINs who are willing to work overtime, double shifts and do weekend work. Will we still be able to find these AINs if they are not adequately compen-sated for their extra shifts and have no penalty rates for evening, night and weekend work?’

And at the other end of the scale:

                ‘I was embarrassed to be a nurse when I saw nurses on the news crying foul on behalf of the ACTU. Nursing is not a blue collar job. We are so caught up in the politics of these changes, we seem to be forgetting who we are and why we became nurses in the first place.’

Despite these diverse views, a preliminary examination of the responses suggests the majority of nurses consider the changes will make their working life more difficult and compromise standards of patient care.

The widely held view is a fear the changes will lead to the erosion of working conditions, increased workloads and further deter-ioration of the chronic nursing shortage which exists today.

The following comment seems to encapsulate all of these fears:

                ‘As a registered nurse I am concerned that implementing the new IR changes will

result in the loss of conditions such as paid overtime, public holidays and penalty rates. Sick leave, maternity leave and annual leave entitlements may also be reduced.

                ‘I enjoy my job but as a shift worker I would not continue working as a registered nurse if these basic conditions were taken away.’

The comments reflect a cau-tiousness that now exists as many nurses contemplate an uncertain future.

The ANF considers that the changes to be introduced in the WorkChoices amendments to industrial laws will have a considerable and long term impact on the nursing profess-ion. The proposed changes to the content and application of awards will hurt nurses, particularly those not covered by enterprise agreements.

For its part, the ANF will continue to campaign against any change which we consider will reduce the wages and working conditions for nurses or reduce standards of nursing care.

The ANF campaigns against the IR changes because we consider it’s what our membership wants us to do and that the outcomes will benefit the people we provide nursing care to, our members and nursing generally. It is important that as many nurses as possible convey their views on these important issues. Go to the website, read the responses and let us know what you think. Have your say.

Nick Blake
ANF Federal Industrial Officer