Queensland Health nurses and midwives to receive pay increase
Published: 10 November 2022
Queensland Health (QH) nurses and midwives have voted to accept the best pay increase offered by any State or Territory government in Australia.
Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) Secretary Beth Mohle said the QNMU worked incredibly hard to negotiate and secure a raft of improved pay and working conditions for the state’s almost 55,000 public nurses and midwives.
Ms Mohle said nurses and midwives at QH facilities state-wide voted overwhelmingly to accept the nation’s biggest pay deal as part of the QNMU and QH EB11 wage and conditions package. The EB11 ballot closed at 5pm yesterday with 92% of nurses and midwives involved voting to accept the raft of improved pay and conditions.
“As part of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union EB11 wage agreement, Queensland public nurses and midwives will receive the most significant pay rise in the country for public sector nurses and midwives,” Ms Mohle said.
“This includes a 4% wage increase for the first year of the agreement, 4% for the second year and 3% for the third year.
“In addition, QH nurses and midwives will receive a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) payment equal to any difference between the inflation rate at the end of the March quarter each year, and the wage increase for each year, up to a maximum of 3% per year.
“Sunday penalty rates will increase to double time, from one- and three-quarter time, annual leave will not be deducted on public holidays, nurses and midwives will have the right to refuse unreasonable overtime, fatigue leave will be available for remote on call staff, the mental health allowance will be extended to more nurses, part-time employees will have the right to have their contracted hours to be reviewed and much more.
“This is a significant and much deserved win for Queensland’s nurses and midwives who have given their all during COVID-19 and every day. The QNMU is proud to continue to represent and act on behalf of this incredible workforce.’’
The QNMU is run by nurses and midwives for nurses and midwives and was the only union involved in EB11 negotiations on behalf of the state’s public sector nurses and midwives. The QNMU applauds the incredible work of QH nurses and midwives.
The full EB11 agreement can be viewed at www.qnmu.org.au/EB11. The agreement will now go to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) for certification or approval. This process normally takes a few weeks.
Once certified, QH and the Department of Education (DoE) payroll will take steps to implement the increases to the pay and allowances. The 4% increase to wages and existing allowances will be backdated to 1 April 2022.
“The QNMU is determined to see the EB11 agreement become a reality in the bank accounts of Queensland’s hard working public nurses and midwives as soon as possible,” Ms Mohle said.
“Queensland’s public sector nurses and midwives are an incredible force, providing quality care in extremely challenging circumstances throughout the state. They deserve the real change reflected in this ground-breaking agreement.”
The QNMU notes there will always be conditions to improve, which is why Enterprise Bargaining occurs every couple of years. The QNMU commends and thanks all QH nurses and midwives involved in the process.
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