A formal offer including a 2 per cent increase for three years has today been sent to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), and I urge them to seriously consider the proposal and the prospect of a pay rise before Christmas for their members, before taking industrial action.
The Hodgman Liberal Government has been negotiating with the ANMF in good faith within our two per cent wages policy, so it’s extremely disappointing that they are considering industrial action in the lead up to one of the busiest times of the year.
I note that the ANMF log of claims was complex and only received last month.
Our constructive negotiations with the Community and Public Sector Unions – without industrial action – are evidence of our commitment to achieve fair and affordable wage outcomes.
Since we came to Government we have employed more than of 140 full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses.
We have also taken action to address double shifts by introducing a cap – there are now 79 fewer double shifts than in July and August 2015. This follows significant decreases achieved in earlier months.
We are committed to a safer workplace for nurses, and just last month we introduced legislation to Parliament to extend our legislation for mandatory jail sentences for serious assaults to apply to nurses.
We have re-introduced school nurses across Tasmania, and we have provided extra transition-to-practice placements each year, so more of our great Tasmanian nursing students can live and work in Tasmania when they graduate.
The Hodgman Liberal Government is committed to working with the ANMF to achieve a fair and affordable wage outcome for Tasmanian nurses.
