Victoria's nurses and midwives have taken their first step towards industrial action as they push for better pay and conditions, against a backdrop of industrial disputes involving other health unions.
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On Thursday, members of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation's Victorian branch voted to apply for a protected industrial action ballot at the Fair Work Commission.
They rejected an offer of a three per cent pay increase across four years and a one-off $1500 payment for full-time staff.
Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said too many workers have become casuals due to rostering issues, with the union pushing for measures to incentivise them to stay on full-time.
"If they can't get rosters that, for example, reflect the family needs that they have, what we're seeing is that they're walking with their feet and changing from being a permanent staff member to being a casual staff member," Ms Fitzpatrick told reporters.
The union is pushing for higher penalty rates for weekend and night shifts, better overtime pay, more annual leave and other allowances.
Almost 123,000 registered nurses work in Victoria, an increase of 15,000 since 2019, but the federation claims there are still problems filling shifts.
Ms Fitzpatrick said walk-outs were a "last resort" option and not something members wanted to do.
The union leader likened the current situation to conditions in the late 1990s under the Kennett government, which implemented significant public sector cuts.
The last time nurses staged walk-outs was in 2012 under a coalition government.
Hundreds of nurses in red T-shirts attended an enterprise bargaining agreement meeting in Melbourne on Thursday afternoon and the union said more than 1500 attended meetings throughout the state.
Their current agreement is due to expire on April 30, with negotiations under way between the union, the Department of Health and the Victorian Hospitals' Industrial Association since October.
A Victorian Government spokesperson said they would always back nurses.
"We expect the Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association and the (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation) are negotiating in good faith to reach a resolution as soon as possible," they said.
Several other prominent health unions are negotiating new agreements, with some launching or threatening industrial action.
Victorian paramedics on Monday began writing slogans on ambulances and stopped collecting patient billing details as part of ongoing action over a protracted pay dispute.
V/Line workers have staged more than half a dozen strikes this year, while speed camera operators who work for Serco walked off the job for 24 hours in January.
The Police Association called off action in late 2023 after the force committed to address shift lengths and ticked off a 1.75 per cent "goodwill" pay rise while negotiations continued.
Australian Associated Press
