The strike was initiated by nurses in Sydney and across New South Wales. They defied a stay at work order.
On Tuesday thousands of nurses from Australia and New South Wales protested the low salaries and difficult working conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite being told by the Industrial Relations Commission earlier to stop their strike and to avoid disrupting services, health workers decided to go on strike.
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. According to the union, they were required to “stand tall”They can express their anger at the healthcare system.
On the day of protests, only skeleton staff were allowed to remain at NSW hospitals. This was so that patients with the most severe illnesses could still get the medical attention they needed.
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%.
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With signs reading “Health Workers in Sydney”, they marched through Sydney’s central business district. “Ratios save lives” “More nurses – less hearses,”There are many others. The one photographed was wearing a complete body protection suit with a shield for his face. He held a sign that read: “I wear this for 12 hours. Could you?”
“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 said that ABC News was reporting her story.
Other parts of the state were also reported to have hosted smaller marches in which many nurses participated.
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