labour day

Your penalty rates this Labour Day public holiday

October 3, 2024 by Rayan Calimlim Leave a Comment

With the Labour Day Public Holiday on the Monday 7 October 2024, make sure you know what you’re entitled to if you’re working on this day.

In the NSW Public Health System, entitlements for public holidays are set out in the Public Health System Nurses and Midwives’ (State) Award 2022 and depend upon your employment status and how you are rostered. The below table sets out a summary of the entitlements:

* usually required to work when rostered on

*** see explanation under Full-time: Seven-day basis

In each case, the public holiday rates are in substitution for any shift penalties that would normally have been paid.

In relation to full time employees who work on other than a seven day basis, a day worker is defined as working their ordinary hours from Monday to Friday inclusive and who commences work on or after 6AM and before 10AM each day. A shift worker is defined as not a day worker.

In relation to permanent part time employees, the award provides at 29.PART I.(v) that when a public holiday falls on a day of the week which you regularly work and you are not required to work on that day, you are entitled to have that public holiday off without loss of pay. Your employer cannot change the roster to avoid paying you for the public holiday.

In the private system, public holiday entitlements will differ from employer to employer. To find the award or enterprise agreement that applies to you please click here.

If there’s an issue with your public holiday pay please notify your manager or payroll office in the first instance to discuss this issue. NSWNMA can assist you if you’re unable to resolve the problem with your employer.

Should you require advice about your public holiday entitlements please do not hesitate to contact our Information Team on 02 8595 1234 (Metro) or 1300 367 962 (Rural) or by emailing us at gensec@nswnma.asn.au

Have further questions? NSWNMA Members can contact the Association for support here. To find out more benefits of being a member or to join the NSWNMA, visit this page.

Know your penalty rates this Labour Day!

September 28, 2023 by Rayan Calimlim Leave a Comment

With the Labour Day Public Holiday on the Monday 2 October 2023, make sure you know what you’re entitled to if you’re working on this day.

* usually required to work when rostered on

*** see explanation under Full-time: Seven-day basis

In each case, the public holiday rates are in substitution for any shift penalties that would normally have been paid.

In the private system, public holiday entitlements will differ from employer to employer. To find the award or enterprise agreement that applies to you please click here.

Have further questions? NSWNMA Members can contact the Association for support here. To find out more benefits of being a member or to join the NSWNMA, visit this page.

Action needed to address increased psychosocial risks in Nursing and Midwifery

April 28, 2023 by Madeline Lucre Leave a Comment

This International Day of Mourning, the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) remembers those who have lost their life at work and renews calls for more to be done to address mental health workplace risks to prevent further tragic losses.

International Day of Mourning (28 April) is a day to remember and honour those who have lost their lives at work.

NSWNMA General Secretary, Shaye Candish, expressed concern around the increasing psychosocial and mental health risks impacting nurses and midwives.

“We’d like to see urgent investment focused on protecting the psychosocial wellbeing and mental health of nurses and midwives,” Ms Candish said.

“We’ve seen a significant amount of research in the past year highlighting the extent of the problem. A COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Worker study found one in 10 healthcare workers surveyed reported thoughts of suicide or self-harm over a two-week period.

“Healthcare workers were also twice as likely as workers in other industries to experience psychological injury, according to a Design for Care survey on Psychological injury in the NSW Healthcare and social assistance industry.”

A report released earlier this year commissioned by the NSWNMA revealed 15 in every 100 nurses and midwives surveyed are suffering symptoms of post-traumatic stress at clinical levels, with overwork, exhaustion and burnout identified as key contributors.

“The data and research into mental health risks at workplaces is there, now we need action to address the issues,” Ms Candish said.

“Workplaces should be proactive and encouraging reporting of workplace psychosocial hazards and risks as ignoring them or accepting them as the norm is increasingly dangerous.

“In addition to that, we need increased risk mitigation measures to address occupational violence, improved programs to reduce bullying, further training for staff and managers to support each other after traumatic events, and a review of the Employee Assistance Program.

“The NSW government commitment to implement ratios in NSW public hospitals through their Safe Staffing policy will have a positive impact on nurses and midwives mental health, but more must be done.”

2023 May Day march locations

April 28, 2023 by Madeline Lucre Leave a Comment

May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, is an annual event celebrated on 1 May to commemorate the historical achievements and ongoing struggles of the working class and labour movements worldwide.

This year, May Day will be celebrated in three locations over three days, providing an opportunity for union members and the public to show support for workers’ rights and social justice.

Join the NSWNMA among thousands of workers by attending one of the following rallies:

Hunter Workers’ May Day March

Date: Sunday, 30 April

Location: Assembling outside Newcastle Museum, Workshop Way

Time: Assembling at 9:30 am, march begins at 10 am

Hunter Workers will gather outside Newcastle Museum to commence their march towards the Foreshore at 10 am.

Sydney May Day

Date: Monday, 1 May

Location: Assembling at Belmore Park

Time: 11 am

Sydney May Day will take place in Belmore Park, with participants assembling at 11 am before marching to Hyde Park. Please note that there will be no weekend family fun day this year.

South Coast Labour Council’s March for Peace, Jobs, and Justice

Date: Saturday, 6 May

Location: Assembling at Wentworth St, Port Kembla

Time: 12 pm

The South Coast Labour Council will assemble in Wentworth St, Port Kembla, with the march’s central message highlighting that Port Kembla is No Place for a Nuclear Base.

This is an important opportunity for workers everywhere to vent their opposition to Port Kembla becoming the east coast base for the nation’s nuclear submarines.

Offshore wind and container terminal jobs are too important to be displaced in the name of nuclear submarines, that’s why workers are standing up to fight back.

Your penalty rates this Labour Day

September 30, 2021 by Rayan Calimlim Leave a Comment

This Labour Day public holiday, nurses and midwives asked us to clarify what they’re entitled to. Pete from the Member Rights Centre at the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association has kindly collated this information to make sure you don’t miss out.

In New South Wales, the gazetted public holiday for Labour Day is 4 October.

In the public health system, the entitlements for public holidays are set out in the Public Health System Nurses and Midwives’ (State) Award and depend upon your employment status and how you are rostered. The below table sets out a summary of the entitlements

In relation to those full time employees who do not work on a seven day basis, a day worker is a worker who works their ordinary hours from Monday to Friday inclusive and who commences work on such days at or after 6AM and before 10AM, otherwise than as part of the shift system. A shift worker is a worker who is not a day worker. In each case, the pay rates are in place of any shift penalties that would have otherwise been paid had the day not been a public holiday.

In relation to permanent part time employees the award provides at 29.PART I.(v) that when a public holiday occurs on a day of the week on which an employee regularly works, that employee shall be entitled to observe the public holiday without loss of pay. The employee’s roster must not be changed to avoid payment for the public holiday.

In the private system, public holiday entitlements will differ from employer to employer. To find the award or enterprise agreement that applies to you please click here.

Have further questions? NSWNMA Members can contact the Association for support here. To find out more benefits of being a member or to join the NSWNMA, visit this page.

Nurses and midwives join global solidarity march

May 1, 2017 by Gia Hayne

Attacks on penalty rates, encroaching hospital privatisations and more health funding cuts will prompt members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) to join in May Day marches and activities this week.

General Secretary of the NSWNMA, Brett Holmes, said this year’s theme ‘fighting inequality’ would focus on workers’ rights and the ongoing pursuit of improved wages, conditions and living standards.

“Over the past few years we’ve seen the devastating impacts of a growing gap between rich and poor, soaring costs of living and, more recently, unnecessary cuts to hard-fought workers’ entitlements,” Mr Holmes said.

“The Turnbull Government’s support of the Fair Work Commission’s recommended cuts to Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in the retail, fast food and hospitality sectors is simply abhorrent.

“It’s yet another example of conservative ideology to focus on looking after big business and expect the working class to do more with less. We know this is only the beginning and more sectors will be at risk of penalty rate losses in the future.

“The global union movement has long acknowledged the contribution of workers to our community and economy and this year’s May Day is no different – in fact it’s even more important that we stand up, collectively, for workers’ rights.

“May Day is an opportunity to come together with likeminded workers and their families to help build a better future for everyone.”

Sydney’s annual May Day march will take place on Sunday, starting at Hyde Park North in the CBD and marching to Prince Alfred Park in Surry Hills, where workers will gather for live entertainment and family activities.

2017 May Day activities:

Wollongong, Saturday 6 May – 10am march from Lowden Square to Wollongong Mall.

Sydney, Sunday 7 May – 12pm gather at Hyde Park North and march to Prince Alfred Park for family fun day.