Thousands of nurses in Australia went on strike for the first time in a decade. The strike occurred after negotiations with the government about wage raises and staffing shortages fell through. Nurses and midwives across New South Wales, Australia assembled in front of the state parliament building in Sydney after defying a last-minute order from the state’s industrial relations commission to call off the strike. They were holding placards saying “Fatigued, exhausted, worn out and burnt out,” “Need more nurses now” and “Stop telling us to cope.”
The Omicron variant has caused a recent increase in cases, severely testing the country’s hospital infrastructure. The majority of Australia’s 2.5 million recorded cases are from New South Wales. Thousands of nurses and other healthcare professionals marched through Sydney’s streets, some wearing PPE suits and scrubs.
Demands include a pay rise of higher than 2.5%
Despite a decision by the Industrial Relations Commission to call off the strike on Monday afternoon, the workers went on strike. The NSW health ministry escalated the matter to the IRC. It said in a statement that “any strike action would cause disruptions and delays to health services throughout the state”.
Union officials said the strike would proceed as planned. This is because the discussions had not resulted in a resolution that would “go anyway to satisfying the association the real concerns of nurses are being addressed”.
Australia has been facing some considerably rigid internal restrictions. The country is repeatedly enduring lockdowns to fight the spread of COVID-19. However, after the lockdowns were lifted in December, the Omicron variation fueled an eruption in cases. This is putting a strain on testing and hospital systems. Also, it is inducing the government to restrict eligibility for free PCR tests. While many hospitals are having difficulty keeping up with rising admissions, critical care unit admissions and death rates remain low. The pandemic has claimed the lives of 4,600 Australians.