Angry nurses and midwives braved the elements to rally outside Prince of Wales Hospital, frustrated by the NSW government’s rejection of shift-by-shift ratios and insulted by a 1.04% pay offer.

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) Assistant General Secretary, Judith Kiejda, said members felt ignored and disrespected by the latest pay offer, especially after receiving 0.3% last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The NSW government is happy making zero changes to support nurses and midwives at the bedside, completely ignoring their ever-increasing workloads,” Ms Kiejda said.

“At Prince of Wales Hospital, members tell us they’re often short staffed, unable to replace colleagues at short notice for sick leave or because of unfilled vacancies and regularly miss meal breaks.

“Our members want to offer the best possible patient care with safe staffing. The NSW government has the power to do this, but they want to shirk all responsibility.

“We call on the NSW government to respect and value nurses and midwives by delivering shift-by-shift ratios and decent pay, not a pitiful 1% offer.”

Over 40 members of the Association’s Prince of Wales Hospital Branch gathered alongside community supporters to call on the NSW government to deliver nurse-to-patient ratios, improved conditions and a respectful pay rise.