The following article was published in "The Guardian", newspaper of the
Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, July 10th, 2002.
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Nurses underpaid and overworked
After weeks of industrial action which will be capped by a mass rally this
Friday, Queensland nurses have forced the State Government to call for a
review of the whole system of Enterprise Bargaining.
Underpaid and overworked, nurses have demanded a 12 percent wage rise over
two years; workloads that are safe for both patients and staff; affordable
nurse education programs; improved and safer workplace environments; and
the implementation of workforce planning strategies to address the needs of
a predominately female and shift-working workforce.
The Queensland Nurses Union has waged an excellent campaign during which
the Union has recruited 1500 new members.
While the review, which is to be chaired by Bob Hawke, may be regarded as
an attempt to delay a settlement in favour of the nurses, it also provides
an opportunity to put forward an alternative to the unsatisfactory
Enterprise Bargaining system.
According to a statement by Premier Beattie the inquiry will consider a
number of alternatives including the institution of annual economic
adjustments for work value and special case application; an
awards/arbitration model and, thirdly, public service arbitration to
provide a mix of annual adjustments and the awards/arbitration model.
The award system proved in the past to be much more beneficial to unions
than has enterprise bargaining. Awards covered workers across an industry
or occupation and provided comprehensive coverage of wages, working
conditions, workers' and trade union rights, etc. They were legally binding
and enforceable at law and were negotiated with the trade union(s)
representing those workers. The award system also permitted agreements over
and above the award which might be specific to a particular workplace.
The award covered small or other workplaces where the union was weak or
workers easily victimised. Employees were not put in the vulnerable
position of having to negotiate an agreement or take strike action in
virtual isolation.
The strength of trade unions lies in their ability to take collective,
united action around common claims or struggles for workers' rights.
Another principle that has to be re-established is that workers have the
right to take industrial action at any time in support of their claims
A warning signal concerning the objectives of the Government in calling for
the inquiry is the statement of Premier Beattie that "the current system
rewards the strongest union which is willing to make the most noise and
hold out for the longest period of time ... We want to remove that combat
culture which has emerged after 10 years, and protect the community who are
often the innocent victims in these disputes."
These statements indicate that the Premier is still looking for a way to
side-track the nurses' claims. Railroading issues into an inquiry is a
time-honoured way by which to procrastinate while appearing to be doing
something in the hope that delay will undermine the determination of the
workers involved to win their demands.
Queensland unions are rallying to give solidarity support to the nurses in
their watershed dispute which may change the face of trade union actions
and rights for the better after many years of retreats and setbacks.
--
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