Nurses and midwives from all corners of the state tell Macquarie Street: “The bush needs ratios and fair pay too!”

Deniliquin

In the lead-up to our strike day, November 23, the State Emergency Services issued a flood evacuation order for the Riverina town of Deniliquin.

The fast-rising Edward River was threatening to cut the town in half. “Some of our members were out sandbagging homes and shops,” said branch president Rhonda Dixon.

To minimise disruption to the community battling floodwaters the Deniliquin Hospital branch of the NSWNMA decided not to strike.

Instead, members put up campaign posters around the hospital, wore NSWNMA badges and staged a protest outside the emergency department, which received favourable coverage in local media.

The river peaked without major flooding and the evacuation order was later cancelled.

Milton Ulladulla

Motorists driving through the South Coast town of Milton gave an enthusiastic response to striking members who marched with placards urging them to “Honk for patient safety”.

Three hospital doctors and members of the public marched alongside them.

Also on the march was Robyn Bean, a life member of the NSWNMA and former EN at Milton Ulladulla hospital. “Robyn is in a wheelchair after losing a leg to cancer – she comes to all our rallies,” said Teresa Redmond, delegate for the NSWNMA’s Milton Ulladulla branch.

Teresa said branch members had become more enthusiastic about the campaign because the last two rallies were held locally in Milton rather than bigger regional centres.

Overwhelming support for strike

94 per cent of nurses voted in favour of stopping work for 24 hours on Wednesday, 23 November. Rallies were held at the following sites:

• Sydney CBD
• Albury
• Armidale
• Bega
• Blayney
• Broken Hill
• Buronga
• Cobar
• Coffs Harbour
• Coolah
• Forster
• Gilgandra
• Grafton
• Griffith
• Kempsey
• Lightning Ridge
• Milton Ulladulla
• Nelson Bay (NSWNMA Tomaree Community Hospital Branch)
• Newcastle
• Nowra (NSWNMA Shoalhaven District Hospital Branch)
• Orange
• Peak Hill
• Port Macquarie
• Singleton
• Tamworth
• Taree (NSWNMA Manning Hospital Branch)
• Trangie
• Tweed Heads
• Wagga Wagga

Manning Base

The strike at Manning Base Hospital on the Mid North Coast got widespread media coverage that reflects growing community awareness of the hospital’s unsafe staffing levels.

The Manning River Times, Prime and NBN television and ABC Mid North Coast radio all reported on the campaign for ratios and better pay.

“The community is starting to become aware of the staffing problem and how unsafe it is,” said Scott Grant, NSWNMA branch secretary at Manning Base.

“We’ve been telling management this for a couple of years but they don’t listen. We feel very unsupported.

“We have to stay the course; it’s a hard long battle, but we will get change. We can’t give up.”

Buronga OneHealth

“The bush needs ratios too!” was the message from this rally at Buronga OneHealth. Buronga is on the Murray River in the state’s far west.

Air Ambulance 

Members at NSW Air Ambulance showed their support for the NSWNMA’s ratios and pay campaign.