St Vincent’s Hospital nurses from the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) will rally this morning in their own off-duty time, after after what they say is a pay deal they were intending to accept was withdrawn at the 11th hour.
The original pay offer was a 4 per cent increase for 2023 and 2.53 per cent backdated to October 2022.
Newly appointed CEO
The NSWNMA says newly appointed CEO of St Vincent’s Lismore, Alan Cooper, made a last-minute decision to take it off the table and offer only a 2.3 per cent increase, backdated to July 2023.
NSWNMA members are deeply disappointed by the hospital’s backflip, and along with community members, will be calling on the board of St Vincent’s Lismore to reinstate the original offer.
NSWNMA General Secretary, Shaye Candish, said the past three years had been gruelling for nurses and midwives in the Northern Rivers following the covid pandemic and floods.
Not unreasonable
‘What our members at St Vincent’s Private Hospital are asking for is not unreasonable. In fact, our hardworking nurses are very deserving of this wage increase,’ said Ms Candish.
‘They show up every day and night to provide patients in Lismore and surrounds with high quality clinical care but their pay is not reflective of this.’
NSWNMA St Vincent’s Private Hospital Lismore branch members will highlight their concerns with community members during the rally and call on the hospital to reconsider its decision.
Another case of prioritising profit in the health industry. At the expense of those who give what they give because their heart is in the right place. How often the heart gets exploited. How abusive is this decision-maker – the newbie – who is in it for the buck too, based on his own personal salary demands. The job – reduce costs – and what costs are deemed to go – those that make it possible for his job to exist. When do the ‘real people’ become first priority?
Can anyone inform the public of the renumeration this “CEO” receives in comparison with what the nurses are expected to survive on per annum. Probably the easiest way to get a real perspective of this ongoing extreme capitalism that has been inflicted on our country, for and on behalf of an extremely well connected very exclusive few. For far too long.
Australia is becoming very tired of this almost parasitic group of corporates, living off the tireless efforts of our low paid frontline workers whom, no matter what, are there for our community day and night 24/7. Perhaps like so many others, this CEO should be removed ASAP!
I have seen first hand how our nurses were treated at the polling booth by the deplorable dark far right LNP politicians and their supporters, when they nurses asked for proper staff to patient ratio’s, it was very disturbing. Those LNP politicians have been removed and are now out of office, but sadly the new Govt hasn’t the numbers in Parliament and especially the upper house to pass the new real legislation, thats our fault.