Protests were again brought to the street on Tuesday as Deniliquin NSW Nurses and Midwives Association branch members continue industrial action.
Members are demanding fairer pay for public sector nurses from their employer - the NSW Government.
From 2pm Tuesday, nurses and midwives took up a space outside Josh’s Bakehouse in the Deni CBD.
Brandishing their campaign signs, they encouraged members of the public to speak with them about the cause.
Continuing local strike action is part of a statewide campaign which demands that the NSW Government agree to a 15 per cent pay rise.
It would bring pay for NSW nurses in line with those in Victoria and Queensland, and would be more likely to address staffing shortages .
“Nurses and midwives are overworked and underpaid,” the NSWNMA said.
“New South Wales nurses and midwives are the lowest paid in Australia.
“Experienced nurses and midwives are leaving due to poor pay and conditions, and the sector is failing to attract new recruits needed.
“Nurses and midwives are asking the government to fix their pay so they can afford to stay in the profession they love.”
One local nurse said she is particularly feeling the effects of the pay difference, having recently relocated to Deniliquin from Queensland.
She said she is being paid “much less here”.
Local health services say the pay disparity is impacting on local staffing levels, with qualified locals instead choosing to travel across the Victorian border to take advantage of the better conditions.
Deniliquin NSWNMA members participating in Tuesday’s action said they feel “betrayed” by the Minns NSW Government who, at the last election, vowed to support nurses.
His government is now saying they’ve ‘given enough’ and can’t give a costed 15 per cent pay rise.
But NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the government “remains at the negotiating table and ready to continue to work in good faith”.
This week’s strike action comes just two weeks after nurses took their protests to the streets, with the NSWNMA saying negotiations with the NSW Government since then have “again fallen through”.
“For months, we have continuously showed up to negotiation meetings and acted in good faith,” an association spokesperson said.
“Not once has government sat down and negotiated pay.”
To learn more about the cause, and to pledge your support, go to nswnma.info/supportus.