21 November 2018
North West Nurses and Midwives Call Upon the Community to Support Industrial Action TODAY
COMMUNITY EVENTS – TODAY! WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2018:
Media Doorstop:
Where: 12.15pm
Where: Mersey Community Hospital, Main entrance, Latrobe
Who: Emily Shepherd, ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary and ANMF Mersey Community Hospital Representatives
Community Gathering:
When: 12.30pm
Where: Mersey Community Hospital, Main Entrance, Latrobe
Members of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian Branch (ANMF) working in the North West of the state, alongside concerned community members, will today escalate their action aimed at the Tasmanian Government. This is in pursuit of a competitive enterprise agreement offer for public sector nurses and midwives and more broadly improved conditions in the Tasmanian health system.
“This action is designed to allow the community to show their support for nurses and midwives and to demonstrate that a positive outcome is not only needed for the nursing and midwifery professions, but the Tasmanian community and the Tasmanian health system. It indicates the level of desperation nurses and midwives, as well as the community, are feeling right now,” said ANMF Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd.
“The ANMF entered into good faith negotiations with the Tasmanian Government on 31 May this year and to date have not been able to negotiate an outcome for members. Industrial action was launched on 10 September 2018 by nurses and midwives who have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of action by the Tasmanian Government and the enormous challenges facing the state’s health system.”
“To date, the Tasmanian Government are still yet to put an offer on the table to nurses and midwives that will enable quality care delivery, both now and into the future.”
“The aim of the community gathering at the Mersey Community Hospital today is to highlight that nurses and midwives are not just taking this action for the future of their professions, but indeed to ensure safe and quality health care services for the Tasmanian community now and into the future.”
This gathering follows on from a successful street walk and gathering in Launceston last Saturday, 17 November and further events planned for Hobart on 6 December 2018.
“ANMF members are increasingly fatigued by ongoing overtime, double shift demands, and challenges associated with bed block due to lack of capacity. The workforce challenges are already evident with 7.4 million dollars being spent on agency nurses and midwives in the last financial year due to the Tasmanian Government having no strategy to retain and recruit their own nurses and midwives to the state.”
“The over reliance on nurses and midwives goodwill is having a dire impact on the health and wellbeing of individual nurses and midwives. These staff continue to work over 7.5 million dollars’ worth of overtime and double shifts annually to ensure patient safety. They do this because there is no alternative and they refuse to put their patients’ lives in jeopardy or comprise their colleague’s safety,” said Ms Shepherd.
“The Tasmanian Government should be ashamed of the negligence they have shown to nurses and midwives. They are disregarding their personal wellbeing, and this is clearly evident through the lack of action to implement strategies to improve retention and recruitment as well as an improved workload model.”
“Nurses and midwives have vowed to continue their industrial action until they receive an offer from the Tasmanian Government that will ensure retention and recruitment of the current nursing and midwifery workforce. They want to be recognised for their significant efforts in the delivery of public health services.”
“But more importantly, nurses and midwives strongly believe that these outcomes are not only required for them as individuals, they believe they are integral in ensuring safe and quality patient care for the future,” said Ms Shepherd.
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Media contact:
Emily Shepherd, ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary
Mobile: 0400 884 021
Email: emily.shepherd@anmftas.org.au