Arabic version: ممرضو وقابلات جنوب أستراليا يرفضون عرض الأجور

According to ABC News, South Australia’s public sector nurses and midwives have rejected the state government’s Enterprise Agreement offer, which included a 16 per cent pay increase over three years. The result means the South Australian government will ask the South Australian Employment Tribunal to arbitrate the dispute and make a final decision on the agreement.

The South Australian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation acknowledged the majority vote on Thursday. The union had previously recommended that members accept the government’s offer. ANMF SA chief executive Elizabeth Dabars said the result was clear despite the decision being difficult for many nurses.

Ms Dabars said the union had anticipated that a rejected vote would lead the government to seek arbitration. ANMF SA had briefed its legal teams and prepared to proceed with the tribunal process, she said. The union will continue to stand alongside its members.

Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis described the outcome as disappointing and said the offer balanced the needs of nurses and taxpayers. He said the government had offered more than 10 per cent over 18 months, which would equate to a 16 per cent wage increase when administrative increases earlier in the year were included. With compounding, he said the increase totalled about 17 per cent over two-and-a-half years.

Both Mr Koutsantonis and Ms Dabars said matters beyond pay were involved in the vote, including staffing numbers. The union has called for babies to be counted alongside mothers in staffing ratios. Ms Dabars said ANMF SA would pursue patient-to-midwife ratios through legislative change after those provisions were not included in negotiations.