NSW doctors in public hospitals took part in strikes from April 8-10, calling for better working conditions and pay rises to match their counterparts in other states.For the first time in nearly 30 years, NSW doctors have gone on strike. The Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation, also known as the doctors’ union, called for a three-day strike starting on April 8 to campaign for better pay and working conditions.
What is the doctors’ union asking for?
Among the call for better conditions, the union has raised safety concerns for patients by arguing that doctors are frequently required to work “dangerously long hours” with minimal downtime between shifts. The union argues that staff shortages and staff overwork both put patients at risk by lengthening waiting times and increasing the likelihood of errors from exhaustion. They have called for staffing increases at public hospitals and a guaranteed 10-hour break between back-to-back shifts to prevent fatigue and burnout among staff. The union has also rejected the Government’s offer of a 10.5% wage increase over 3 years, instead calling for a 30% wage increase without a specified time period. From 2011 to 2023, public sector doctors were subject to the NSW Government’s ‘public sector wage freeze’ which limited wage increases to 2.5% per year. According to the NSW Health Minister, the current NSW Government is trying to undo the wage suppression of its predecessor, but that this cannot happen immediately.
In NSW, first year doctors can earn around $38 per hour, whereas in Queensland, they can be paid $45 an hour. This can lead to NSW doctors moving interstate to seek better pay and conditions, which worsens the staffing problems in NSW hospitals.
What happened during the strike?
On April 8, around 7,000 public sector doctors across the state took part in industrial action. While the nature of the action taken differed across different hospitals and departments, the union was careful to try to prevent any risks to patients, keeping emergency departments fully staffed and only delaying elective procedures. On the first day of the strike, the NSW Government circulated reports to media outlets which implied that the strike had led to hundreds of cancelled chemotherapy appointments. By day three, the Government had walked back these claims, with reporting describing the numbers as “grossly incorrect”. On April 11, the union agreed to re-enter negotiations with the Government and to refrain from any further industrial action for three months.
What now?
With NSW doctors and the Government back at the negotiating table, a resolution is yet to come. However, after NSW nurses struck for a 15% pay rise last year, and nearly half of all psychiatrists in the NSW public health system resigned in February over pay, staff shortages and working conditions, it is clear that the NSW public health system is in dire need of better funding and better support.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, NSW doctors have gone on strike. The Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation, also known as the doctors’ union, called for a three-day strike starting on April 8 to campaign for better pay and working conditions.
What is the doctors’ union asking for?
Among the call for better conditions, the union has raised safety concerns for patients by arguing that doctors are frequently required to work “dangerously long hours” with minimal downtime between shifts. The union argues that staff shortages and staff overwork both put patients at risk by lengthening waiting times and increasing the likelihood of errors from exhaustion. They have called for staffing increases at public hospitals and a guaranteed 10-hour break between back-to-back shifts to prevent fatigue and burnout among staff. The union has also rejected the Government’s offer of a 10.5% wage increase over 3 years, instead calling for a 30% wage increase without a specified time period. From 2011 to 2023, public sector doctors were subject to the NSW Government’s ‘public sector wage freeze’ which limited wage increases to 2.5% per year. According to the NSW Health Minister, the current NSW Government is trying to undo the wage suppression of its predecessor, but that this cannot happen immediately.
In NSW, first year doctors can earn around $38 per hour, whereas in Queensland, they can be paid $45 an hour. This can lead to NSW doctors moving interstate to seek better pay and conditions, which worsens the staffing problems in NSW hospitals.
What happened during the strike?
On April 8, around 7,000 public sector doctors across the state took part in industrial action. While the nature of the action taken differed across different hospitals and departments, the union was careful to try to prevent any risks to patients, keeping emergency departments fully staffed and only delaying elective procedures. On the first day of the strike, the NSW Government circulated reports to media outlets which implied that the strike had led to hundreds of cancelled chemotherapy appointments. By day three, the Government had walked back these claims, with reporting describing the numbers as “grossly incorrect”. On April 11, the union agreed to re-enter negotiations with the Government and to refrain from any further industrial action for three months.
What now?
With NSW doctors and the Government back at the negotiating table, a resolution is yet to come. However, after NSW nurses struck for a 15% pay rise last year, and nearly half of all psychiatrists in the NSW public health system resigned in February over pay, staff shortages and working conditions, it is clear that the NSW public health system is in dire need of better funding and better support.
