The world never stands still, and neither can the Association if we are to achieve our goals.

The hearings for our Special Case wrapped up in December and we now await the findings from the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC). The full bench of the IRC indicated that our decision will be handed down in the first quarter of this year.

I would like to thank our legal team for the tremendous job they did. Thanks also to the 37 members who bravely shared their experiences with the IRC providing strong evidence of the realities of work in the contemporary healthcare environment (see p14). We are also grateful for the expert witnesses’ evidence that allowed us to put forward the strongest case possible.

They all did a fabulous job representing our professions, giving voice to our members’ claim for a pay rise that values the work they do and that addresses the historical gendered undervaluation of that work.

Regardless of the outcome of the special case, which will be final and binding on all parties, the fight for improvements in wages and conditions has to remain a constant focus for our union. Our determination to win improved wages and conditions for public sector members doesn’t stop with this decision.

The economy continually evolves with changes in inflation, productivity and the cost of living all impacting on the buying power of your wages.

Similarly, new circumstances constantly arise in our workplaces. Our Special Case highlighted the significant changes in the scope and complexity of nursing and midwifery work over recent years, partly as the result of COVID-19, evolving professional standards, and changes in the complexity of patient care.

There will inevitably be more changes. Healthcare is a dynamic sector and will continue to face new challenges whether they be due to the health consequences of climate change, the outbreak of new pandemics, improvements in technology and artificial intelligence, or other, yet unknown, developments.

We need to be prepared for any new challenges and ensure nurses, midwives and carers are rewarded for their role in meeting these challenges.

The work members do is incredibly important for the functioning of our society. They improve the health of our communities and make our economy stronger as a result.

They deserve pay and working conditions that reflect their contribution and allow them and their families to have a good quality of life while they are working and in retirement. As a union, we need to remain strong and united to ensure we win for members.

CARE MINUTES ARE THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF AGED CARE

Despite the enormous progress we have made in aged care in recent years there is still work to be done.

Decades of campaigning by our aged care members led to the Albanese government investing $16 billion in the sector.

That massive investment of taxpayers’ money was allocated to improve the care of residents, not to swell the profit margins of providers.

The clear feedback we are getting from our members in the sector (see p8) is that many providers are falling well short of their obligations to provide mandated care minutes.

This is backed up by research conducted by the NSWNMA and is even evident in providers’ own self-reporting.

The Association will continue to campaign for stronger requirements for transparency and more robust mechanisms for accountability around care minutes and the presence of RNs 24/7. We will also hold employers to account where care minutes are being erroneously allocated to non-direct care.

The Albanese government deserves credit for its commitment to the sector but without improved measures of accountability it risks endangering the progress we have made.

THE FIGHT AGAINST HATE AND BIGOTRY

The terrorist attack at Bondi, a clear act of antisemitism, surely makes it clear to all that it is crucial that we fight against hatred and bigotry, and stand strongly for peace, love and unity.

As a progressive organisation we embrace the fight against racism in our community: the racism experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and all people of colour, the rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, these must all be countered. This is something we have to urgently address.

In recent years we have implemented measures to ensure greater diversity in the voices that are heard within and from our union. Now we are reaching out to like-minded allies in the health and aged care sector to ensure our workplaces are safe as we fight against racism; if we do this work together we will have an impact not just at work, but within our communities.

I’m proud of the work that we’ve kicked off in collaboration with the Human Rights Commission (see p24). Curbing the right to protest is not the answer. Solidarity, education, and support for each other within our workplaces is the best way to influence our communities and rid our society of racism.