The complex wages issue for the famous emergency health charity,founded by Reverend John Flynn in May 1928,now seems set for lengthy arbitration hearings in 2024.
There will be no Christmas Eve wage increase for Queensland nurses working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.Supplied
The 24-hour Royal Flying Doctor Service provides emergency healthcare across Australia’s 7.69 million square kilometres.
In Queensland,80 nurses – often working as “nurse only” medical crews,plus pilots,in the state’s west and north – were hoping for more than the 13 per cent wage increase offered over three years.
Queensland’s latest inflation rate,for the October quarter,was 5.4 per cent.
Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union acting secretary Sarah Beaman said nurses working for the RFDS “absolutely loved their job”,but she described the latest 2.7 per cent wage increase as “a slap in the face”.
However,the RFDS says the union is misrepresenting the wage offer,which on Saturday drew the attention of Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace.
“I know there is an application in the[federal] Fair Work Commission that is being heard,but it is not in the state’s jurisdiction,” Grace said.
“I believe that all our hard-working nurses and midwives deserve all they get,” she said.
“We did an excellent agreement here in this state,providing fair wage increases,but also a cost-of-living adjustment was made. The full 3 per cent increase was made in the first year.”
RFDS executive general manager nursing Lee Poole said the not-for-profit had made several offers to nurses since April,which he said were being misrepresented by the union.
As part of their wide-ranging services,RFDS nurses provided COVID injections throughout regional Queensland.Royal Flying Doctor Service
“This includes a reduction in hours for aeromedical nurses[not primary health nurses],which alone equates to a 7 per cent pay increase,” he said.
“The most recent offer,which relates to all RFDS nurses,remains 13 per cent over three years,comprised of a reduction of shifts,recognition of years’ service,and pay increases,” he said.
“The RFDS has presented numerous offers to the QNMU over the past nine months that would result in most nurses employed by the RFDS earning between $135,000 and $150,000 a year,before superannuation is added.”
But Beaman said the union rejected the initial offer because it did not cover needed improvements in other areas of the nurses’ work.
“They are required to be on call – or be available for up to 13 hours – but they are not paid for that time,” Beaman said. “They are paid for 10 of those hours.”
However,she said the nurses’ biggest complaint was that
“The RFDS has an amazing front-facing connection with the community,and it receives a lot of community funding,” she said.
“That community interface is because of the nurses and what they do out there.”
The nurses’ union said the original 13 per cent wage increase was now off the table,but Poole said the original offer remained.
The union said a recent 10-year,$1 billion agreement with the federal government,an extra $284 million from Queensland,and a $16 million donation from mining magnate Gina Rinehart gave the RFDS “room to move on wages”.
Grace hoped the Fair Work Commission could make a “clear and balanced decision”,and she thanked nurses and midwives for working “right through the festive season”.
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