In Australia, the nursing staff of Sydney hospitals walked off this Tuesday, June 28, a major strike movement which occurs in reaction to the announcement of the budget allocated to health in the State of New South Wales. Nurses and midwives are calling for higher wages in line with inflation and a lower number of patients assigned to each caregiver.
With our correspondent in Sydney, Leo Roussel
They were hundreds to strike on Tuesday in the state of New South Wales. Midwives and nurses protested against their working conditions and the new health budget announced by the state government.
In Sydney, many caregivers responded to the call from the Midwives and Nurses Union to come together and set out their demands. This is the case of Sabrina, a nurse in a city hospital: ” We are asking our government to set up ratios in hospitals. This means that each nurse should have a limited number of patients to care for to create a safer working environment for our patients and our nurses. »
The public sector exhausted by the pandemic
Caregivers are also asking for a salary increase, but none of their demands have so far been accepted. They are considering other actions, despite the threats of sanctions hanging over the strikers, as Nathaniel, a union representative explained: “ No concrete plan has been decided, but we have signed a motion which explains that in order to be able to satisfy all our demands, we need a sustained and growing strike movement. »
This is already the third massive strike movement by caregivers in Australia since January. Exhausted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the public sector can no longer take it: railway workers also walked out in Sydney on Tuesday; this Thursday, it will be the turn of the teachers.