Members voice enthusiastic support for 15 per cent claim at city and regional hospitals across New South Wales.

MAITLAND

The NSWNMA rally at Maitland Hospital in the lower Hunter region started with a march from inside the hospital, through the outpatients’ clinics and out the front gate, where staff got a warm reception from passing motorists.

It was Maitland’s biggest rally in recent memory drawing more than 80 people, said Branch President Monique Murray. Nurses from Maitland’s mental health branch and community nurses joined in along with members from Dungog and Cessnock hospitals. “We will probably call a branch meeting in a couple of weeks to have a debrief on the rally and get people’s opinions and ideas for our next action,” Monique said.

Rally speakers included newly graduated nurse Ashley Ball, mental health nurse Laurel Kibble, Branch Assistant Secretary Melissa Gole and Monique. She said the rally got widespread favourable media coverage including from ABC radio and TV, NBN News, the Newcastle Herald and Maitland Mercury.

TWEED VALLEY

In northern NSW, about 200 nurses and midwives supported by medical and administrative staff rallied outside Tweed Valley Hospital in a powerful show of support for the NSWNMA campaign. “It was an amazing response,” said NSWNMA Branch President Kristin Ryan- Agnew. Members of the public also attended in response to advertising by the branch via social media, posters, stickers and badges.

Representatives from other healthcare facilities in Northern NSW LHD were also at the Tweed Valley Hospital rally. Kristin said NSWNMA branches in the LHD including Ballina, Grafton, Lismore, Murwillumbah and Tweed Valley had recently stepped up their joint work to share information, resources and support.

Rally speakers included Lismore Base Hospital Branch President Penny Anderson, NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish, and Kristin.

GOSFORD

More than 100 nurses and midwives attended the NSWNMA rally at Gosford Hospital on the Central Coast. Branch President Meg Pendrick said the big turnout showed members “have had a gutful” and are ready to take action “as often as we have to to get results. We know we are worth a lot more than they are paying us.”

Meg said nurses and midwives “feel undervalued and they’ve had enough. They can’t believe this government doesn’t value us and won’t fix what they promised to fix. Health is something everyone needs, and everyone uses. Why doesn’t the government care?”

PORT MACQUARIE

A lively rally at Port Macquarie Hospital on the Mid-North Coast saw nurses and midwives “fired up and ready for the next phase of the campaign” with widespread support for strike action, said NSWNMA Branch President Mark Brennan. “We are eight hours from the border and haemorrhaging staff to Queensland. I work on a small ward where we recently lost two young staff members who went to Queensland for better pay and conditions,” he said.

Up to 50 staff joined the demonstration despite a medical emergency involving a shark attack victim, which prevented ED and theatre nurses from attending. Speakers at the rally included NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary Michael Whaites and Mark.

SUTHERLAND

Nurses and midwives at the Sutherland Hospital rally in Sydney’s south were urged to join an email- writing campaign directed at their local MPs.

NSWNMA Branch Secretary Liz Turner said the branch would help people write emails using templates developed by the union. “We want to make it as easy as possible but also meaningful and original, so the politician isn’t just receiving a form letter,” Liz said.

She added, “The mood at the rally was strong; people feel they are undervalued and disrespected and that we deserve a 15 per cent pay rise this year. Community members approached me at the rally and asked if there was a ‘friends of nurses and midwives’ support group they could join. I will make enquiries because