The New South Wales Nurses Association (NSWNA) temporarily ended a
campaign of industrial action at public hospitals on January 12 to
consider an offer by the State Government. The NSW Labor government
agreed to hammer out a deal on the union's demand for a staffing
ratio of one nurse to four patients to be part of the new workplace
agreement.
The NSWNA council had called on nurses
to close beds in January 4, after the state government declined to
reply to an NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) advice that it
make a proposition by January 13. There had been 12, 573
non-emergency beds that had been closed at 68 hospitals in January.
A one-day strike action by NSW nurses last November 24 followed
suit after the bed closures. It is the first nurses' walkout since
2001.
Nurses are commonly expected to care for anywhere between five to
eight patients and to work dizzying amounts of overtime. Doctors
frequently work 24-hour shifts and 100-hour weeks. Concurrently, tens
of thousands of people suffer on waiting lists for elective surgery
as a result of bed shortages.
While nurses are undoubtedly sick and tired with the conditions
they face at work, the drive of the union for a nurse-patient ratio
is not targeted at defying the systematic running down of public
health. The absence of a complementary increase in health care
funding and the employment of more doctors and nurses, a 1-to-4 ratio
will only result to fewer beds being made available for patients in
need.
The intense support for the strike shows the disappointment among
health care professionals over the deteriorated state of the health
system. The plight where there are not enough doctors, nurses, or
available beds to confront the demands of an escalating and aging
population have been created by decades of cost cutting, including
outright hospital closures.
NSW Labor premier Kristina Keneally told journalists that the
government proposal to the NSWNA would include the employment of
additional staff. Carmel Tebbutt, Minister for Health, stated on
January 6, on the other hand, that the ratio would demand the
employment of 6,000 more nurses, which was ?unachievable? due to
budgetary restrictions.
The specifics of the offer have not
been publicly released however NSW Health declared it was "a
fair and reasonable proposal".
A statement released by the authority
stated, "If accepted, the proposal will lead to a substantial
increase in the number of nurses employed in NSW?s public
hospitals, as well as a pay rise for all nurses."
If the union decides the government offer is not to their liking,
beds may be closed again, according to Tamworth Delegate, Roz
Norman.