The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association has accumulated ‘a substantial number’ of votes to enact a strike for this coming Wednesday after claims of unfair working conditions.
Midwives at Manly and Mona Vale hospitals took part in the secret 24 hour ballot, which closed at 2pm on Friday.
It gained hundreds of votes to strike because of ‘drawn out, unreasonable job matching’ processes for midwives and nurses who have transferred to Manly and Mona Vale hospitals.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association has accumulated ‘a substantial number’ of votes to enact a strike for this coming Wednesday after claims of unfair working conditions
NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes said this process has lead to nurses and midwives being placed in jobs they aren’t qualified to be matched with The Daily Telegraph reported.
‘A lack of consultation with staff and their union during the EOI process has led to staff being matched to very different positions with no explanation or logic around why those decisions were made,’ he said.
Some examples were shift workers being matched to day worker positions and being put in wards with skill requirements which do not match their expertise.
Midwives at Manly and Mona Vale (pictured) hospitals took part in the secret 24 hour ballot, which closed at 2pm today
The strike will last four hours if it goes ahead.
The strike is designed to bring the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), the NSW Government and Healthscope to the negotiating table.
If negotiations aren’t started by the end of business on Monday then Wednesday’s strike will go ahead.
Manly branch president of the union, Lyn Hopper reassured patients at both hospitals that the four hour strike would not impact patient care.
Manly Hospital is set to close upon the opening of the new Northern Beaches Hospital on October 30 while Mona Vale will lose its emergency ward which has lead to staff negotiating the job matching process.
Some have spoken out and said they are being offered unreasonable and ‘wildly inappropriate’ jobs within areas they have little or no experience in.
Manly branch president of the union, Lyn Hopper reassured patients at both hospitals that the four hour strike would not impact on patient care
Those who have received appropriate job matches in areas where they have expertise said they were still left unhappy with the lack of transparency around shift rotations and staff/patient ratios among other gripes.
One expereinced nurse spoke with The Daily Telegraph and said despite being offered a good job match her confidence in the system had been undermined.
‘I’ve applied for two jobs outside of Sydney already and I’m prepared to move my family off the northern beaches,’ she said.
‘We are losing staff across the whole hospital, from nurses to cleaners and kitchen staff.’
A spokesperson for Northern Sydney Local Health District said the majority of staff had already been matched to a position and that those who do not wish to go to the new Northern Beaches Hospital will be afforded different opportunities.
The spokesperson also said staff had been ‘reinforced’ by 30 graduate nurses at the Manly and Mona Vale facilities.
The strike is designed to bring the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), the NSW Government and Healthscope to the negotiating table