We deserve better: Healthscope protected action campaign
Why are nurses and midwives at Healthscope taking protected action?
Nurses and midwives in Healthscope are standing together and fighting for fair pay and safe staffing reforms, including enforceable nurse/midwife-to-patient ratios.
Not only are nurses and midwives in NSW paid less than in other states and territories – nurses and midwives at Healthscope hospitals are paid up to 16% less than their colleagues in Healthscope hospitals in Queensland for the same work.
Since May 2024, a dedicated team of ten NSWNMA bargaining representatives, comprising nurses and midwives from Healthscope Hospitals have been negotiating a new pay and conditions Agreement (or ‘Enterprise Agreement’) with Healthscope. This Agreement must appropriately value and recognise the essential work done by nurses and midwives in these hospitals and address the unsafe working conditions they are forced to work under every day.
Key and reasonable demands include:
- A 15% increase to pay and allowances from 1 July 2024, with ongoing increases over the life of the Agreement to maintain pay rates above those in the Public Health Sector
- An increase to night shift duty penalty rates from 15% to 30%
- Mandated nurse/midwife-to-patient ratios across all wards and units
- Improved entitlements to annual leave, personal leave, and other leave types
For a complete overview, review the NSWNMA 2024 Log of Claims here and Ratios Claims here.
Current protected action:
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
Stop work and overtime ban – 7 Nov from 7:00 am
On Thursday, 7 November, NSWNMA members at Nepean Private Hospital will stop work from 7:00am to 10:00am. NSWNMA members will also ban overtime and/or the working of hours in addition to rostered hours from 7:00am on Thursday 7 November to 7:00am on Friday 8 November.
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
Stop work and overtime ban – 5 Nov starting from 7:30am
On Tuesday 5 November, NSWNMA members at Northern Beaches Hospital will stop work from 7:30am to 9:30am. NSWNMA members will also ban overtime and/or the working of hours in addition to rostered hours from 7:30am on Tuesday 5 November to 7:30am on Wednesday 6 November.
Additionally, from Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
Stop work and overtime ban – 7 Nov starting from 7:30am
On Thursday, 7 November, NSWNMA members at Norwest Private Hospital will stop work from 7:30am to 9:30am. NSWNMA members will also ban overtime and/or the working of hours in addition to rostered hours from 7:30am on Thursday 7 November to 7:30am on Friday 8 November.
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
From Friday 1 November at 6:00am and until an Agreement is reached, NSWNMA members across all Healthscope hospitals can take protected action by
- Wearing campaign clothing and/or accessories instead of prescribed uniform, or prescribed uniforms with campaign messaging
- Making statements and/or distributing campaign materials to members of the public (including patients and their visitors) explaining why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action, and asking such persons to show their support
- Speaking to the media and/or posting and commenting on social media about why members of the NSWNMA are taking industrial action
- Writing and/or affixing campaign messages and/or material on Healthscope communications, equipment, and infrastructure
Latest campaign update
28 October 2024
After our most recent negotiation meeting with Healthscope on 17 October, NSWNMA members across Healthscope hospitals voted overwhelmingly to apply for a Protected Action Ballot Order (PABO) in the Fair Work Commission.
The application was approved by the Fair Work Commission and the Protected Action Ballot took place from Wednesday 23 October to Monday 28 October. Over 77% of NSWNMA members voted in the Ballot, and over 95% of those who participated voted ‘Yes’.
This means that NSWNMA members across Healthscope hospitals can now take protected action to put further pressure on Healthscope to agree to nurses and midwives’ reasonable demands in negotiations.