NURSES and midwives at two of Newcastle's private hospitals say they walked off the job for the first time on Thursday because they feel worn down, taken for granted and ignored. Login or signup to continue reading Dozens of union members from Newcastle Private Hospital in New Lambton Heights and Hunter Valley Private Hospital in Shortland went on strike for two hours to demand better pay and conditions. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) branch secretary for Newcastle Private Hospital, Lesley Reber-Pickering, said it was a "very taxing" place to work.
"We're understaffed, we're pushed to the very end, a lot of us go home in tears and are considering dropping out and going to do something else," she said. Members are demanding a 15 per cent one-year wage increase, the doubling of night shift penalties to 30 per cent, improved leave entitlements and mandated patient ratios. "We want better conditions for our patients and their families as well, and for us, so that we don't physically and mentally break down," Ms Reber-Pickering said.
Both hospitals are run by Healthscope and it's understood negotiations have been ongoing since May, but industrial action has now escalated. Ms Reber-Pickering said Healthscope had made a "measly" offer of a 13.55 per cent payrise over three years.
"You want to be looked after, Healthscope, when you come to our hospitals? We're it. We're the ones that are going to look after you. We're the frontline workers.
Pay us what we want," she sai.
