Yesterday, June 5th 2016, our nursing union, the ANMF, finally got the Victorian Government to agree to wage parity for Victorian nurses with our NSW colleagues! So if, as a nurse you, ever find yourself wondering “do I really need to join the union?”, the answer is “Yes, you really do!”

The union acknowledges that it couldn’t have achieved this result without the efforts of the membership, and the support of our weight of numbers.

Now, under an unprecedented eight-year deal, Vic nurses will receive pay rises of up to 20 per cent. A graduate nurse paid $54,000 today will earn about $67,000 by the end of the deal. Pay rises of up to 4.8 per cent per year, for the next three years, and an average about 3.4 per cent a year for the life of the agreement was achieved. Thousands of Victoria’s public-sector nurses have locked in large pay rises, with some nurses set to receive increases of more than 30 per cent over the next seven years. This is a landmark outcome for 40,000 nurses and midwives statewide.

In 2019, Victoria’s public-sector nurses and midwives will be shifted to a different career grading scheme, which will lift their wages in line with their counterparts in New South Wales. Victoria’s Health Minister, Jill Hennessy described the agreement as “fair, affordable and responsible”.

She went on to say “We feel the outcome values, recognises and rewards Victoria’s public-sector nurses and midwives, provide our hardworking nurses and midwives the wages and support they need to do their job caring for patients and saving lives.”

This is a milestone indeed. We at Nurse CPD online believe that the ANMF have achieved for us an offer from the Victorian Government which finally treats Vic nurses and midwives with respect, recognising the significant training and study we undertake to save lives.

Be sure to like the ANMF VIC page on Facebook.

It really is a great time to be a nurse!