Nurses and midwives at Healthscope’s Prince of Wales Private Hospital (POWP) are forming a NSWNMA branch following their first-ever strike.

Strong support for the historic strike in December encouraged POWP members to step up their union involvement via a formal branch structure.

Active Association branches in workplaces are the main mechanism for members to get organised and have a say over local issues affecting their own facility and employer.

Branches also give members an input into the running of the Association’s statewide campaigns and ensure that each workplace has a voice in the Association’s policies and direction.

In the absence of a branch, POWP nurses formed a WhatsApp discussion group for union members and used it to take a poll on possible strike action.

“Our decision was to strike for three hours,” said NSWNMA member at POWP, Tatiana Parra. “We got from 50 to 60 staff members to come out on strike and attend a public rally, which was a phenomenal result for our first strike.”

“Once we have a NSWNMA branch in place it will help to keep people informed, ease a lot of nerves and make us a little bit stronger.”

Prince of Wales Private Hospital (POWP) was the last major Healthscope facility in Sydney to take part in the NSWNMA’s most recent round of strike action.

Healthscope nursing staff are seeking a 15 per cent one-year wage increase, in line with the union’s public sector pay claim.

They are also calling for mandated nurse/midwife to patient ratios, doubling of night shift penalties to 30 per cent, and improved
leave entitlements.

Healthscope, which is owned by corporate giant Brookfield (see story page 14) was refusing to seriously negotiate on the claims when this issue of The Lamp went to press.

Earlier in 2024, NSWNMA members across Healthscope’s hospitals voted overwhelmingly to apply for a protected action ballot order from the Fair Work Commission.

The Commission approved the application, and the protected action ballot took place in October.

More than 77 per cent of NSWNMA members voted in the ballot, and over 95 per cent of those who participated voted ‘Yes’.