Nurses and midwives in Victoria have rejected the latest pay offer from the state government.
The proposed deal, touted to include an 18 to 23 per cent pay rise spread over four years, faced a resounding “no” during a mass meeting held in Melbourne this afternoon.
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Lisa Fitzpatrick, the secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s Victorian branch, expressed the union’s intention to reopen negotiations with the government.
Ms Fitzpatrick said nurses and midwives had made it clear that they wanted more certainty around the wage increase.
“We voted ‘no’. We didn’t agree to the conditions,” one nurse told Nine News.
“We didn’t feel that it was good enough.”
Ms Fitzpatrick also explained that the outcome of the aged care wages case would apply, and it would deliver nurses an annual wage increase of about three per cent.
“Despite our best attempts at explaining it for a very long time, our members haven’t been able to grasp the concept of the aged care wages case. So that’s a misunderstanding, unfortunately,” she said.
“I am a little surprised, though I do feel that there is a proportion of our membership who need to vent their anger,” she added.
A government spokesperson expressed their hope for a resolution to be reached.
“We hope a resolution will be reached as soon as possible.”
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