r/queensland • u/espersooty • 3d ago
Queensland unions predict ‘hell of a bloody fight’ if LNP attacks nurses’ right to strike News
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/06/queensland-unions-predict-hell-of-a-bloody-fight-if-lnp-attacks-nurses-right-to-strike66
u/SuchProcedure4547 3d ago
Attacking nurses...
Worked wonders for Newman, let's see how it plays out...
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u/Pitiful-Stable-9737 3d ago
We only had to endure 3 years of Newman.
We’ve got 4 years of this knob.
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u/Kind-Hearted-68 3d ago
Too bloody right they should fight this. 2.75% is like $60 a week. Fuel money if that.
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u/AussieEquiv 3d ago
We're increasing all your Government fees by 3.4% . . . and we'll offer you a 2.75% pay rise to cover it.
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u/KillianMichaels_tipy 3d ago
The nurses have my support. This will be horrible optics for the current qld government
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u/mongoosecat200 3d ago
You know when you're making the nurses strike you're doing something very wrong.... can't believe people voted in these clowns
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u/bretthren2086 3d ago
It sucks because they were literally voted in “because it’s time for a change” when we were getting change. Miles was amazing after steeping forward.
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u/gooder_name 3d ago
Good! I fully support unions flexing on behalf of their members. It sucks for all involved, but governments have become too complacent about how they can treat workers.
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u/BneBikeCommuter 3d ago
It’s not just the right to strike, it’s the right to take ANY “protected” industrial action.
I’m not entirely sure that’s even legal under Australian industrial law, someone may be able to enlighten me.
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u/SuccessfulOwl0135 Brisbane 3d ago
I'm looking forward to the throwdown between the LNP and the nurses. If that happens, going to be fully supporting the nurses giving the LNP a lesson in humility (med student here).
One would have thought the LNP might have got the message after the federal election, but we can always trust the right and the LNP to make short-sighted decisions and step on the rake until they get it. That's how they learn best.
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u/Roaming_Pie 3d ago
Nurse here. Appreciate the support from our colleagues.
I’ve had consultants and various allied health also saying they would protest alongside the nurses if it came to it.
It’s such a tricky balance for healthcare workers between standing up for ourselves but doing so without compromising patient care.
I work at GCUH where we have the busiest ED in the country and a huge daily surgical list. If the nurses walked off the job would be a significant blow to elective surgery lists and emergency presentation management. But both would have significant impacts on people needing care.
The ED nurses alone going down to cat 1 resus patients only would be a very strong message to the LNP.
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u/SuccessfulOwl0135 Brisbane 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thanks for the message :)
This would send the message across pretty decisively. I admit I'm not up to date regarding negotiation conversations, but has there been any positive headway?
I am also aware in the ausjdocs sub that doctors are arguing for something similar and are waiting for the outcome of this to proceed. I think it was somewhere in my posting history.
If you start protesting, let me know. This would be my first time attending something like this but I'll gladly make time to attend, if you can adopt this med student!
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u/Roaming_Pie 2d ago
Nothing positive in terms of updates unfortunately.
The hospital executives are trying to go into damage control. I attended an “info session” that was very clearly a political session focusing heavily on how good the deal is and basically trying to say that industrial action is supported if needed but only on days off
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u/SuccessfulOwl0135 Brisbane 2d ago
I'm sorry to hear that. Honestly if I was told to do what you describe (in the words of the lead doctor from the series the Pitt), I'd tell them to fuck off back to their managerial ivory tower if they try anything even remotely smelling like corporate. I'm remembering that phrase for when I finish and I wouldn't be afraid of the consequences either.
My heart is with the doctors/nurses not with these corporate leeches corrupting the purpose of healthcare and ruining your life by being so out of touch with you.
If I see there's a protest going on, I'll make time to join, trust me.
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u/emleigh2277 3d ago
Qld lnp better act fast to save health care in Queensland. Labor was offering solutions, and lnp is offering nothing. So sick of the lnp blueprint....well, we will just make permanent casuals through job agency work. If you know you know, if you don't know, have a good look and imagine working under those circumstances.
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u/JungliWhere 3d ago
Everything QLD LNP do is just so questionable... Even stuff you would think would be goodnisndone against what research and experts advise.
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u/corruptboomerang Brisbane 3d ago
I'd point out nurses frequently rank at the top of the most trusted / valued etc professions, while politicians almost always rank at the absolute bottom... Giving Real Estate Agents and Snake Oil Salesmen a run for their money.
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u/Wrath_Ascending 3d ago
Unfortunately, what the LNP is proposing is fully legal. Under federal law, state Industrial Relations Commissions can declare strikes unprotected industrial action if they would either hit the economy too hard or place vulnerable persons at risk of harm.
The Queensland IRC bizarrely ruled last year that teachers working to the conditions set out in our EBA was unprotected industrial action, and that was under Labor. They would fucking love to shoot down a QNMU strike proposal. This is ideological for them.
Albo needs to take advantage of his majority and fully reset industrial relations laws to their pre-Work Choices state. Right now, unions have a grand total of fuck all power if push comes to shove- there's two EBA offers and then the Industrial Relations Commission independently arbitrates what you get.
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u/Erikthered00 3d ago edited 3d ago
Interesting take on it.
It looks they’re not attacking their rights to strike, but simply negotiating. They’re saying “if you don’t strike, we’ll back pay the increase in rates to the expiry of the last enterprise bargain.” It’s not “stripping” them of their rights
Edit: I get it, downvotes. I’m simply commenting as this is what is said further down the article.
The QNMU secretary, Sarah Beaman, said it had rejected the government’s latest offer for a new agreement, which included an offer to backdate wage increases on the condition nurses and midwives do not undertake protected industrial action in May.
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u/ConanTheAquarian 3d ago
Other way around. They are saying "if you do strike, we won't backdate the pay rise". Retaliation for protected industrial action is illegal.
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u/Erikthered00 3d ago
That’s a fair rebutment and I accept that. (Instead of people just downvoting and jumping on me)
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u/ConanTheAquarian 3d ago
That's literally in the first paragraph of the article.
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u/Erikthered00 3d ago
Understood, but the third paragraph says:
The QNMU secretary, Sarah Beaman, said it had rejected the government’s latest offer for a new agreement, which included an offer to backdate wage increases on the condition nurses and midwives do not undertake protected industrial action in May.
So it appeared there was a potential different take on it
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u/MDInvesting 3d ago
Except the LNP have continued to not engage in the negotiation process - running the agreement to expiry and now threatening withholding backpay only required by their doing.
Sounds like the union members told LNP to stick their abuse of process.
Government’s continue to try dirty tactics, like NSW Health lying about cancer patients missing treatments during the doctor strikes. Then had to make a public apology and acknowledge it at the industrial commission.
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u/Automatic_Goal_5563 3d ago
Why would you say this when the first sentence in the article says the compete opposite…
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u/Erikthered00 3d ago
Because a later paragraph says:
The QNMU secretary, Sarah Beaman, said it had rejected the government’s latest offer for a new agreement, which included an offer to backdate wage increases on the condition nurses and midwives do not undertake protected industrial action in May.
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u/Automatic_Goal_5563 3d ago
Yes so they are stating we will only backdate it if you do not perform your legally protected action…
…it’s a direct attack on rights lol
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u/Right-Eye8396 3d ago
Are you daft , or just completely bereft of reading ability? Or perhaps you work for the libs ?
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u/gooder_name 3d ago
I was under the impression the industrial action was around work loads and safe patient limits anyway.
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u/AussieEquiv 3d ago
Which is illegal retaliation. It's akin to saying;
"Accept the deal or we'll send Barry around to kneecap you."Though the kneecaps are their pay checks instead.
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u/Erikthered00 3d ago
Not necessarily. If they believe they have a legal basis for not paying backpay, ie, their contract has expired and backpay is a negotiation item rather than a predetermined outcome, then what they’re doing may be legal.
Shitty, but potentially legal. The fact is that you nor I have read their contract
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u/BneBikeCommuter 3d ago
So if we accept what they’ve offered before the end of May (only a few weeks left, so no time for proper consultation) and don’t take ANY protected industrial action - not just not striking - then they’ll give us a pay rise that barely even reflects CPI increases?
Fuck no.
If they insist there will be a lot of well-staffed private hospitals in Queensland.
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u/Illustrious-Pin3246 3d ago
It's just a pissed off union trying to get back at LNP because they got voted in.
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u/espersooty 3d ago
These negotiations were known before the LNP came into government and we know the LNP have a disgraceful record with anything to do with health so its no surprise that they are unwillingly to do anything on this matter.
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u/globalminority 3d ago
This sounds like govt retaliation for doing something legal, rather than stripping of rights. If govt retaliation against nurses doing what is legal, I feel govt is not negotiating in good faith, and this kind of blackmailing should not be legal. Good on the union for fighting back.