Nurses walk out to protest low pay, pandemic workload (VIDEOS)
Thousands of nurses in Australia took to the streets on Tuesday to protest low pay and harsh working conditions during the pandemic
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Nurses went on strike in Sydney and elsewhere across New South Wales, defying a stay-at-work order from authorities
Thousands of nurses in Sydney, Australia, and elsewhere across the state of New South Wales demonstrated on Tuesday to protest low pay and harsh working conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The health workers went on strike despite the Industrial Relations Commission having earlier told them to call off their planned action and avoid disruptions to services.
The Nurses and Midwives’ Association said the intervention from the authorities came late, as many of its members had already voted for the walk-out. The union insisted they needed to “stand tall” and show their frustrations with the situation facing healthcare workers.
Only skeleton staff remained on duty at NSW hospitals on the day of the protests, so that the most seriously ill patients would still receive the necessary medical care.
Tens of thousands of frustrated nurses and midwives have shut down Macquarie St, in the heart of the Sydney CBD, as they rally for better staff to patient ratios. @RyanPark_Keira @ChrisMinnsMP @NSWHealth @nswnma pic.twitter.com/QqFQtVgLBB
— Jake McCallum (@JakeMcCallum_) February 15, 2022
NSW nurses say enough is enough. Huge turn out for the protest in Sydney @ACurrentAffair9 #NursesStrike pic.twitter.com/csWb6ECnb4
— Hannah Sinclair (@hansinclair9) February 14, 2022
The protesters are demanding a ratio of one nurse to four patients on every shift, as well as pay increases above the government’s prescribed public-sector offer of 2.5%.
READ MORE: Thousands of protesters swarm Australian parliament (VIDEOS)
In Sydney, the health workers marched through the central business district with signs reading “Ratios save lives” and “More nurses – less hearses,” among others. One was photographed sporting a full body protective suit and a face shield. The sign he held read: “I wear this for 12 hours. Could you?”
The system is broken , nurse strike in Sydney 15/2/2022 pic.twitter.com/yi5nmMcuP7
— ????????讚美：sack them all (@irU7IboJVC2XCxb) February 14, 2022
“We're drowning...we've been drowning for a long time and Covid has really just pressed that point home that this health system is just not working,” one of the protesting midwives told ABC News.
Smaller marches, in which dozens of nurses took part, were also reportedly held in other parts of the state.