Archived Media Releases: 1 October 2008
Nurses ask Deputy Prime Minister – ‘help save our nursing awards.’
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) and nurses are worried that, as part of the Federal Government’s award modernisation process, the future of their nursing awards is at risk and they are calling on Julia Gillard to reiterate her support for occupational awards.
As part of a united national campaign run by the ANF, over 6500 petitions have been signed by nurses appealing to the president of the AIRC to consider maintaining a nursing occupational award.
Ged Kearney, ANF Federal Secretary said nurses are concerned that the AIRC will make the decision to replace nursing awards with generic industry awards.
“Nurses want to work under an occupational award because nurses contribute to all areas of health care, including working in businesses, aged care, the community and hospitals. Also, importantly, many nurses can be employed in multiple areas, for example aged care and community care or public and private sectors and they identify strongly with their nursing profession wherever they work.”
If nurses are forced into generic industry awards with non-specific career structures and minimum conditions of employment, health care standards, patient and resident care standards will be further reduced, particularly in aged care.
“The best way to protect nurses' wages and conditions is by continuing under a nursing award. This is supported by the ACTU who support the status quo where possible, and therefore support maintaining an occupational award for nurses.”
Ged Kearney said that aged care is of particular concern with the pay and conditions of all aged care nursing employees including registered nurses, enrolled nurses and assistants in nursing, being far behind that of their colleagues in other sectors.
Nurses know their awards are the safety net that links all nurses as one profession protecting important things like career structures and minimum conditions, wherever they work.
Media Contacts
Ged Kearney, Federal Secretary 0417 053 322
Lee Thomas, Assistant Federal Secretary, 0419 576 590
Libby Muir, Communications Officer, 0413 834 979
The ANF, representing nearly 170,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses and midwives in Australia.