Qld: Nurses pay hearing resumes today
BRISBANE, Aug 7 AAP - The Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) has accused the state governmentof trying to delay arbitration of its claim for a pay rise and improved conditions.
QNU secretary Gay Hawksworth said the union had been notified by letter that the governmentwould argue at an Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) hearing today forthe case to be adjourned until next year.
The hearing, to be conducted by video link between AIRC facilities in Brisbane andSydney, will determine the procedure and dates for the hearings to be conducted.
Ms Hawksworth will be in Sydney for the hearing.
She said Commissioner Munro, who would be conducting the hearing, had already recommendedthat the union and the government should be ready to commence formal hearings on October17.
The move by Queensland Health to argue for an adjournment was not acceptable behaviour, she said.
It would only serve to provoke Queensland's nurses and exacerbate the serious nursingshortage confronting the Queensland Health system.
"The QNU believes the October starting date suggested by Justice Munro is appropriateand in the best interests of Queensland's public health system," Ms Hawksworth said.
"We cannot for the life of us understand why the Queensland Government wants to delaythe matter until next year."
Last month the AIRC ruled the dispute should go to arbitration and ruled that bed closuresand other industrial bans by nurses should end.
The AIRC had recommended a 9.2 per cent pay rise over two years for level one and twonurses, with varying increases for other grades.
This is well short of the 18 per cent over two years that the QNU has been seekingbut better than the three per cent a year the government was originally prepared to offer.
Ms Hawksworth said even though the industrial action had ended, beds were still beingclosed because of staff shortages.
AAP jfs/cjh/sb
KEYWORD: NURSES DAYLEAD
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