Nurses and midwives in the Bundaberg and Burnett electorate will benefit from a 2.2 per cent pay rise after the Labor Government agreed to honour the LNP’s promise.
Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett said more than 590 nurses in Bundaberg and Burnett would benefit from the well-deserved pay increase.
“The hardworking frontline staff in our health system deserve to be properly rewarded which is why the LNP ensured this increase was fully budgeted and costed,” Mr Bennett said.
“This boost to pay ensures investment in our workforce and an investment in caring for patients in the Bundaberg and Burnett.”
Mr Bennett said the Queensland Nurses Union have been quiet about the pay rise, particularly since they had previously indicated it was ‘substandard’.
“When the pay rise was announced in September 2014, the union said 2.2 per cent had fallen under the Consumer Price Index recommended figure of 3 per cent,” Mr Bennett said.
“Only time will tell if the union now changes its tune to support Labor just because they are in government.
“Let’s not forget it was the LNP that delivered a 12 per cent pay increase to more than 33,000 nurses compared to Labor’s record of failing to pay nurses anything during the health payroll crisis.”
Fast Facts
• Under the LNP Government nurses and midwives received pay increases over the 2012-2015 period as follows:
o 3% or $30 per week, whichever is the greater, payable from 1 April 2012;
o 3% or $30 per week, whichever is the greater, payable from 1 April 2013;
o 3% or $30 per week, whichever is the greater, payable from 1 April 2014;
o A $500 increase to base annual wage rate at end of agreement at 31 March 2015; and
o 2.2% payable from 1 April 2015.
• In 2015, in addition to a $500 increase to annual base wages from 31 March 2015 as part of the current EB8 nurses and midwives will receive a further 2.2% wage increase from 1 April 2015.
• This benefited more than 33,000 nurses and midwives state-wide.