Vic: Hospital beds start to close as nurses dispute heats up

AAP General News (Australia)
08-10-2000
Vic: Hospital beds start to close as nurses dispute heats up

By Heather Gallagher and Trevor Chappell

MELBOURNE, Aug 10 AAP - Victorian hospitals expected the full force of nurses' industrial
action to hit tomorrow when more beds close and elective surgery is cancelled.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital today cancelled 10 cases of elective surgery and closed 24 beds.

The Peninsula Health Care Network closed 54 beds in the district's hospitals, including
Frankston, Rosebud, Rosebud Rehabilitation and the Mt Eliza Centre.

And the Southern Health Care Network, which includes Monash Medical Centre, Dandenong
and Sandringham hospitals, said all but the most urgent elective surgery would be cancelled
tomorrow.

The consensus was that it was too soon to tell what affect the dispute on pay and conditions
was having.

But Victorian hospitals were bracing themselves for the long-term impact, as a resolution
to the dispute seems a long way off.

The Australian Nursing Federation implemented a wide range of work bans, which included
closing about 2,000 beds across the health system, last night.

The bans came after a mass meeting of nurses voted to reject the state government's
nine per cent pay rise, which falls well short of the ANF's demand for 24 per cent.

The nurses also have a long list of demands for improved working conditions which they
say are essential for the long-term survival of the profession.

But as the nurses went into battle, about 13,000 other health workers - including cleaners,
orderlies, cooks and personal care workers - threatened to take action if their co-workers
won more than the nine per cent government offer.

The Health Services Union of Australia (Victoria No.1 branch) finalised its enterprise
bargaining agreement for a nine per cent pay rise last year.

However, state president Pauline Fegan said the agreement had not been certified by
the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), giving members the option of taking
further action to pursue a better deal.

Ms Fegan said industrial action, including walkouts, would occur if the state government
caved in to the nurses' demands.

Health Minister John Thwaites said the HSUA's threat showed why the government could
not shift on its offer.

"If a greater wage payment is made to nurses, it's likely the same demands will be
made by other health workers and right across the public sector," he said.

Meanwhile, Premier Steve Bracks said the nurses' claim, which he had costed at $430
million, was "totally impossible for the government to fund or support".

But he said the government would be prepared to submit the nurses' claim to the AIRC
for arbitration and would abide by "the umpire's decision ... whatever the outcome".

ANF state secretary Belinda Morieson (Morieson) said the government wanted only the
pay issue to go before the AIRC, but not the main sticking points on conditions.

Mr Bracks said hospital bed closures would be monitored on a day-to-day basis.

"We'll ensure that the worst affects of this work ban are not felt by the Victorian
public as best we can, but we will try to negotiate a settlement," he said.

The warring parties will next meet for a conciliation conference at the AIRC on Saturday.

AAP hmg/tsc/er/apm/de

KEYWORD: NURSES VIC NIGHTLEAD (WITH FACTBOX SENT EARLIER)

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