Nurses' pay will not be docked: Minister

12/1/01
Health Minister John Day has strongly rejected claims by the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) State Secretary, Mark Olson, that there were Government plans to reduce the wages of nurses involved in bed closures within Perth's teaching hospitals.
"There is no secret scheme to 'dock' the pay of any public sector nurse," Mr Day said.
"This statement by the ANF is totally incorrect."
Mr Day said patient safety was the responsibility of hospital management - not the Australian Nursing Federation.
"It is the Government's expectation that hospital managers do work closely with nurses to ensure that patient safety is assured at all times and that where there is an issue, it should be properly assessed," he said.
The Minister said if action was determined as necessary, it would be taken by hospital management to address the problem.
"There should not be any need for bed closures on the grounds of patient safety unless it is determined as the best course of action by hospital management," he said.
"In this context, there is absolutely no discussion to be had regarding plans to reduce pay, as stated by the ANF."
Mr Day said Mr Olson's claim that nurse-to-patient ratios were operating in Victoria with great success was also nonsense.
"In reality, Victoria is experiencing difficulty with the ratios and the Industrial Relations Commission has extended the timeframe for implementation," he said.
Mr Day said the Government had been negotiating the nurses EBA in good faith with the ANF for the past four weeks and had given a guarantee to the Australian Nursing Federation that nurses would receive a substantial pay rise, if the Coalition was re-elected.
Media contact: Carole Cowling 9213 6600