Rights at Work

Unions NSW Secretary, John Robertson, addressing protesters outside Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Sydney hospital staff protest AWAs

By Kimberley Vancuylenberg

Nurses and medical staff gathered outside Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital today to protest against the federal government’s work choices legislation.

Clapping and cheers could be heard from blocks away as nurses praised comments made by Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) representatives encouraging the rejection of the new legislation.

Louder members of the group posed for TV cameras, calling on Prime Minister John Howard to reverse work choices legislation and waving 'Kevin 07' banners in support of federal opposition leader Kevin Rudd.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow and unions representative John Robertson spoke at the event, slamming the Howard Government’s legislation and arguing that Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) would “destroy this country’s nurses”.

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister assured nurses he had no intention of imposing AWAs on the nursing industry after opposition industrial relations spokeswoman Julia Gillard accused the government of trying to link industrial relations changes to the next health funding agreement with the states.

However, the Howard Government’s proposals for boards to run hospitals could lead to new health workers including nurses being forced to accept AWAs.

AWAs are a threat to award wages and penalty rates, which Kathryn Sullivan from the Nurses Association believes “is only going to encourage further issues in our health system”.

Ms Burrow said health workers stood to lose up to $284 a week in shift penalties under AWAs.

In Victoria, AWAs were used to dock the pay of nurses involved in disputes which yesterday forced the cancellation of up to 60 elective surgery operations.

“Nurses and health workers work extremely hard caring for our communities and shouldn’t have to worry about their pay being cut,” Ms Burrow said.

Further action against IR laws will occur throughout the country including a barbeque lunch with union leaders at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, a gathering outside a liberal candidate’s office in Melbourne, and free blood pressure tests whilst discussing work choices laws with patients in Adelaide.