Hunter nurses demand safe staffing levels as pay offer falls short
Healthe Care offered 3.5 per cent pay rise but refused to commit to safe nurse-to-patient ratios, prompting strike.
Nurses at Lingard and Maitland private hospitals in Hunter struck Wednesday. NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association members stopped work for three to four hours.
Healthe Care, which owns the hospitals, raised its pay offer to 3.5 per cent from 2.4 per cent. The new offer remains below inflation and does not commit to safe staffing ratios.
Nurses described dangerous workloads: sometimes one registered nurse covers 12 patients. The strike was aimed at forcing the company to listen to their demands.
- 3.5%
- Pay offer
- Sometimes 12
- Patients per nurse
- 4 hours
- Maitland stoppage
- 3 hours
- Lingard stoppage
Why it mattersWithout safe staffing levels, patient care quality drops and nurse burnout intensifies.
AustraliaPrivate hospital workers across Australia face similar pay and staffing pressures, making this strike significant for the broader healthcare workforce.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
