After more than 250 days of historic industrial action and three no-votes, members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) have voted to accept Ramsay Health Care’s proposed enterprise agreement.

95% of nurses and midwives working for the country’s largest private hospital operator voted in favour of the agreement, which includes a 16% pay rise over three years, of which 9.5% will be paid in the next 12 months, as well as backpay from July 2023.

There have also been significant improvements to conditions including:

• Reduced patient loads for nurses in-charge of hospital
• Restrictions on non-clinical duties
• Increased paid parental leave for primary carers and supporting partners
• Increased overtime and weekend penalty rates for casuals
• Improved rights and paid leave for branch officials.

NSWNMA General Secretary, Shaye Candish, commended Ramsay members for their tenacity and determination to win better pay and conditions.

“This has been the union’s longest running campaign of protected industrial action and it’s a credit to each and every Ramsay member who took up the fight and didn’t give up. Nurses and midwives were able to shift the original pay offer of 8.5% over three years to 16% over three years,” said Ms Candish.

“Members participated in more than 60 strikes including converging on the Ramsay Annual General Meeting last year, 21 bargaining meetings and three successful no-votes, which is a testament to their remarkable resolve to show Ramsay they deserved to be valued and respected by their employer.

“As part of our claim we sought mandated shift by shift nurse/midwife-to-patient ratios for all wards and units in Ramsay hospitals. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to achieve these crucial safe staffing improvements in this bargaining campaign but the fight for ratios continues.”

NSWNMA The Border Cancer Hospital Branch President, Michaela Maljcov, said she was proud of Ramsay members for standing in solidarity and fighting for these hard-won gains.

“We’re overjoyed to have finally secured a landmark agreement that delivers significant wins for Ramsay nurses and midwives after two years of tireless negotiations. This three-year deal lays a strong foundation for future progress,” said Ms Maljcov.

“While this is a significant step forward, we acknowledge that our work is far from over. We still need to push for more comprehensive safe staffing initiatives to ensure we can provide the best possible care.

“We’re committed to continuing the fight for a better working environment and quality patient care. Let’s celebrate this achievement but also stay focused on the work ahead – we won’t rest until we’ve achieved the changes our members deserve!”

Ramsay owns 39 facilities across NSW including hospitals across Sydney, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Newcastle, Wollongong and Albury.