11 December 2018 

Media Alert: Theatre Nurses Walk off the Job for better pay and conditions 

Doorstop Media Event
Where: Corner of Argyle and Liverpool
When: 0800-0900
Who: Director of Operations Andrew Brakey and ANMF nursing members 

Nurses in Theatres at the Royal Hobart Hospital will be walking off the job tomorrow morning for an hour between 8 and 9 am in a bid for better conditions. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation has been in negotiation with the government for over 6 months in a bid to achieve a better package for nurses and midwives. Unfortunately no serious offer is yet received. 

‘Our members are disappointed that it has come to this’ said ANMF Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd ‘they are calling for the government to finally listen and ensure that recruitment and retention of nurses in Tasmania is a number one priority in any offer placed on the table’. 

During the stop work ANMF members will be on the corner of Argyle and Liverpool Streets tomorrow morning to talk to the public about the ongoing campaign for better conditions for nurses and midwives in the Tasmanian public sector. 

‘It is important that the public know the implications of the government not offering nurses and midwives in Tasmania a competitive package’ said Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd ‘We already see our specialty areas across the state finding it difficult to attract 

trained nursing and midwifery staff and having to regularly use overtime or agency nurses to cover staffing shortfalls’. 

The current pay offer of 2% will see nurses and midwives in Tasmanian as the lowest paid by April 2019, and they will be 7.5% behind the national average. The considerable pay difference between States means it is difficult to recruit and retain nurses in the public health system in Tasmania. 

‘The public has heard about the stress that hospitals in the Tasmanian Health System have been under recently’ said Ms Shepherd ‘It is the nurses and midwives who work within this system that ensure safe patient care through their dedication to their professions, the government now needs to recognize this contribution’ 

-End-

Media contact:
Emily Shepherd, ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary
Mobile: 0400 884 021
Email: emily.shepherd@anmftas.org.au