Australian nurses' strike over Covid-spurred staff shortages and pay conditions

February 16, 2022: -On Tuesday, Thousands of nurses in Australia’s most populous state walked off the job for the first time in nearly a decade to start a 24-hour strike after talks with the government to plug staff shortages and secure a pay rise failed.

Nurses and midwives across New South Wales defied a last-minute order by the state’s industrial relations commission to call off the strike, which it said could put public health in danger.

Nurses that are gathered in front of the state parliament building in Sydney, holding placards says that “Fatigued, exhausted, worn out and burnt out,” “Need more nurses now,” and “Stop telling us to cope.”

Nurses had sought a pay increase of over 2.5% and better nurse-to-patient ratios. The strike will be staggered through the day and will include staff from over 150 hospitals around the state.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it “unfortunate” and “disappointing” that nurses persisted with the strike. Hazzard told radio station 2GB the government is working on a solution but said few suggested changes to nurse-patient ratios could cost “a billion dollars.”

The arrival of the fast-move omicron variant in Australia in late November fueled a surge in Covid-19 infections accounting for the bulk of the country’s total of around 2.6 million confirmed cases and overwhelmed hospitals.

On Tuesday, New case numbers have been trending lower in the latest days. Just over 23,000 new cases were reported by midday, while hospital cases dipped to regarding 3,000 from a peak of 5,400 three weeks ago.

Officials registered 46 new deaths, with the pandemic total standing at 4,664.