Nurses & Midwives Awarded “Historical” Pay Rise, Ending Two-Year Government Dispute

Nurses and midwives across New South Wales have been awarded a pay rise of up to 28 per cent in a new decision handed down from the Industrial Relations Committee that found the female-dominated workforce had been historically undervalued, likely on the basis of gender.

The ruling ends a two-year battle between the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) and the Minns government, after they failed to come to an agreement over a wage deal in 2024.

Justice Ingmar Taylor said the wage cap from the previous Liberal government, high inflation throughout the COVID pandemic, and the gender-based undervaluation justified a “one-off reset” of their pay in the first year.

It will see registered nurses, who make up a majority of the workforce, given a 10 per cent increase, while assistant nurses will receive a 22 per cent rise, and enrolled nurses 12 per cent.

It amounts to a pay rise of 16 per cent for register nurses, 18 per cent for enrolled nurses, and 28 per cent for assistant nurses over the course of three years.

The wage increases will be backdated to 1 July, 2025, a year later than the union had been been seeking, but will not be inclusive of the interim 3 per cent rise won last September.

Union “hoped for a better outcome”

The dispute between the NSWNMA and the government was escalated to the Industrial Relations Commission last year, after the union demanded a 35 per cent pay rise to combat the rising cost of living.

In their opening submissions, both parties estimated the increase would cost taxpayers more than $10 billion, with union barrister Leo Saunders emphasising it didn’t “represent an economic disaster.”

The NSWNMA also argued the roles of nurses and midwives had expanded with no reflection of their increased responsibilities in their wages, and that the work of women was undervalued.

The commission heard that of the 69,000-strong workforce, nine in 10 nurses, and 98.9 per cent of midwives, are women.

NSWNMA general secretary Michael Whaites said that while the pay rise for assistant and enrolled nurses was welcomed, the ruling failed to address structural pay issues faced by registered nurses and midwives.

“Registered nurses and midwives remain behind those in other states,” he said.

“They are the backbone of this workforce, they are the majority of this workforce, and we hoped for a better outcome for them.

“Today we heard registered nurses should be paid more, but we just can’t afford it.”