tasormelb Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Hi. I have been reading the Victoria online newapaper today which has reported that the nurses are due to strike next week. One of the reasons given for this action is that the government want to cut 1700+ nurse jobs. Is this correct? We are heading over next summer and I am a cancer/palliative care nurse. I am getting a bit worried that jobs may become scarce. Also are hospitals still giving out permanent contracts or do they tend to give yearly ones. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dermedicus Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 It seems that every four years when the agreement comes up for renewal, the government try to play hard ball and the nurses have to close beds until they give in. The current industrial action primarily concerns closing one in three beds and cancelling one in three elective operations. The issues concern pay of course (the nurses are actually asking for less over four years than the state govt. recently gave the Police), and more importantly preservation of the ratios that dictate number of nurses to number of patients. This campaign is slightly edgier because of a cabinet document that was leaked demonstrating the govts strategy to force the nurses to conciliation with Fair Work Australia in order to force them to accept a tribunal settlement which will then leave the govt free to reduce ratios and replace nurses with untrained auxiliary type nurses. Currently all nurses in Victoria are either enrolled (Div 2) or registered (Div 1). From your perspective you will be delighted to hear that cancer and palliative services, along with paediatrics and intensive care are not involved in the action. I support the nurses entirely but it is making life very difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Seven hundred beds being closed is dire I believe and I do not support this strike action at all. My mother spent 24 hours on a trolley in hospital a week ago and she is 92 so goodness knows how long she would be on one this week. I was completely disappointed in the lack of professionalism shown they had no clues about my mother's condition did not give her her drugs, she had to ask for food, etc etc. Disgusting I would think. On the ward the nurses were ok but they certainly were not overworked, my mum can do everything for herself so that meant only three to look after and they were easy as well. I have no problem with people getting a wage rise but every job is an important job and makes the wheel so everyone has to make compromises, the teachers have they have given up conditions, every other industry has changed to modern ways and cheaper methods so what is the difference with nurses. I had to tell the nurses what my mother's drug was and had to tell the nurses to stop keeping her in bed and let her walk as the heart specialist had told mum that morning she must walk. Standards are dropping with drop comes less money and less care and we are getting that anyway. When my daughter was in hospital her blood sugar went up in the night the nurse said oh we will have to decrease your insulin or stop it, my daughter told her you cannot do that. I have to have my insulin. We know what happens when they do this, my daughter ends up in intensive care its happened before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 The nurse over here are crap. Shocking. I know because I am one. I earn twice as much as I did in the UK and I do virtually nothing (Im at work now!!) although Im a psych nurse so we rarely do anything anyway whichever country we live in. If they dont like the conditions they should go and do something else. Nobody forced us to be nurses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ashmalog Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 i agree that the australian trained nurses here know nothing like us UK trained nurses. I work in general practice now and help train the students coming through the system, some are going into their 3rd year and not even given an injection!!! the doctors here also are not used to working with nurses that are educated and skilled in their areas. It takes a UK trained nurse a long time to be accepted here and to prove we are not the doctors hand maidens. I totally agree with the strike and will continue to show my support although patient ratios do not affect me. If the government win then it will be like the NHS all over again where you have 1 trained nurse looking after the whole ward with HCA's doing the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasormelb Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 Thanks to everyone who has replied to this post, your comments are all really interesting. We had the first day of strikes here in the UK last week which caused major disruption. I do not support the strikers here as its all about their pensions - there is no more money in the pot for pensions so its a lost cause. Now if the strike had been about cuts to number of front line staff effecting patient care that would have been a different kettle of fish. Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I challenge any nurse that is coming through the Australian system to work in aged care for a while. Aged care nurses have more reason to get up and strike than anyone for the conditions they are in but they dont! Who cares for their clients if they are not there.....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Lets not turn this into a slag off the crap nurses thread....whenever nurses stand up for their rights this happens...doesnt happen when the police and fireys strike though does it! The problem with poor care on the wards arises when management staff entire shifts with minimally experienced (cheaper) nurses and rely on the newbies to hold the fort. All nurses require the supervision and leadership of their more experienced (more expensive) counterparts. Sadly this doesnt happen due to cuts. Im lucky enough to work with a highly skilled and dedicated professional team...please dont tar all nurses with the same brush Most nurses dont strike...as Joanne says, we care too much, who suffers?? The patients, unacceptable and thats why governments here and in the UK continue to screw us over, they have us over a barrel. I challenge anyone to work a shift in our shoes and then say we dont deserve better pay and conditions. Your lives in our hands....thats why we need more resources, to enable continued and consistent standards of professionalism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 i agree that the australian trained nurses here know nothing like us UK trained nurses. I work in general practice now and help train the students coming through the system, some are going into their 3rd year and not even given an injection!!! the doctors here also are not used to working with nurses that are educated and skilled in their areas. It takes a UK trained nurse a long time to be accepted here and to prove we are not the doctors hand maidens. I totally agree with the strike and will continue to show my support although patient ratios do not affect me. If the government win then it will be like the NHS all over again where you have 1 trained nurse looking after the whole ward with HCA's doing the rest. I think (hope) you mean newly qualifieds. Same in the UK. Different training, they are still chopping and changing, the lack of practical time means new nurses are not equipped for the job. Theory/practice gap. Not enough ward time. I have worked with many highly skilled/educated caring Aussie nurses over the last 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PositivePixie Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Thanks to everyone who has replied to this post, your comments are all really interesting. We had the first day of strikes here in the UK last week which caused major disruption. I do not support the strikers here as its all about their pensions - there is no more money in the pot for pensions so its a lost cause. Now if the strike had been about cuts to number of front line staff effecting patient care that would have been a different kettle of fish. Regards I respectfully suggest you actually read the research and reports into the pensions - there is enough in the pot for them was the verdict of the Government backed report. Please do not believe all that is in the media about the strikes - some very important information has been kept out by the media, for example the fact that strikers didn't get paid for the day of the strike, something completely ignored by the media whilst reports of parents having to take a day off to care for children etc, thereby making out that the strikers were getting paid as normal, rather than taking a pay cut to stand up for what they believe in, as just one example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Are the nurses going on strike in Melbourne? have they ever gone on strike before? here in the uk they were on strike last week and they look like they will be striking again in the near future, not for the tens of thousands of recent job losses, but for the attacks on their pensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratchet Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Just my opinion of course but i think The anf f$&!ed is up royally and made nurses look a bit stupid. I totally disagree what they have done in the way of action - shutting beds, causing pts to miss out on ops etc.........thats not the trade i joined. Im appauled at it. And its not even for mental health nurses, so ive pretty much stick my finger up to it and am looking to change unions, maybe hacsu......Lisa from the anf appears out of control with this action to get a pay rise. In answer to your question. Theres never a shortage of jobs out here. All aussie nurses train to be a grneral nurse then do a post graduate year in the area they want to specialise, then access the post grad diploma for the qualification. So if your a uk trained mental health nurse, your already ahead of the game. Thats why they like us. Gen nurses, midwives etc - im not sure about, but i do know in the aussie training, your already taking bloods, sorting out lines etc etc as part of the training, unlike the brits who do it as a post grad....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moldec1999 Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 i agree that the australian trained nurses here know nothing like us UK trained nurses. I work in general practice now and help train the students coming through the system, some are going into their 3rd year and not even given an injection!!! the doctors here also are not used to working with nurses that are educated and skilled in their areas. It takes a UK trained nurse a long time to be accepted here and to prove we are not the doctors hand maidens. I totally agree with the strike and will continue to show my support although patient ratios do not affect me. If the government win then it will be like the NHS all over again where you have 1 trained nurse looking after the whole ward with HCA's doing the rest. Hi there moving away from current topic but just had to reply!! My family and I are moving to Melbourne early next year and I will be working as a GP nurse! Would love to hear more from you about the job there and the differences to here( Ireland , which I presume is same as UK?!) how long are you there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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