AAP, August 20, 2010 South Australian nurses will suspend industrial action over staffing levels and resume negotiations with the state government on a new enterprise agreement. Nurses recently accepted a 15 per cent pay rise over three years but remained at odds with the government over other issues, including staffing levels in hospitals, professional development and career structures. They imposed work bans this week, which included turning off hospital computers that controlled staffing numbers. But the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation said on Friday enterprise agreement negotiations would resume next week after the government agreed to put aside ... More

ABC, August 17, 2010 South Australian nurses and midwives are taking industrial action after rejecting part of the State Government's offer in enterprise bargaining negotiations. Nursing and Midwifery Federation CEO Elizabeth Dabars says a pay rise offer of up to 15 per cent over three years has been accepted but a dispute over staffing is unresolved. She says nurses will shut down a computer system used to calculate staffing levels. "The response to the claim fails to address staffing levels and skills mix and professional development, all of which are absolutely critical to ensure there is safe levels of care for patients," she said. ... SA

Gene Rickman, TopNews United Kingdom, August 17, 2010 According to reports, after declining part of the offer from the State Government, South Australian nurses and midwives are seeking an industrial action. Elizabeth Dabars, CEO of Nursing and Midwifery Federation said that a 15% hike in salary over the next three years has been received well, but there is still a clash over staffing. The computer system that is utilized to compute staffing levels will be closed down by the nurses, she said. Industrial Relations Minister Paul Holloway is happy that the pay issue has been sorted out, but showed concern that the nurses are still thinking about industrial action. ... SA

Ken McGregor, Adelaide Advertiser, August 16, 2010 Nurses and midwives have voted to take industrial action against the Government's "unsafe" proposals and have refused to rule out future strikes. Last night, the union voted to turn off a "tampered" computer-operated rostering system, which they claim has left them vulnerable to staffing shortages. "We have serious concerns that they (government administrators) have changed the computer system," South Australian Union secretary Elizabeth Dabars said yesterday. ... Nurses

Sydney Morning Herald, August 16, 2010 South Australian public sector nurses and midwives will take industrial action from Tuesday in support of an enterprise bargaining claim. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation SA secretary Elizabeth Dabars said most issues of wages and conditions had been settled with the government but proposals for staffing levels and professional development were not. Under the proposal, graduate nurses could be left in charge of whole hospitals or health services, Ms Dabars said. ... Nurses

ABC News, August 13, 2010 The nurses union says there are still some 'thorny' issues in its pay and conditions dispute with the State Government. The union is seeking a nine per cent pay rise over three years. It met Government officials today but the Government's offer has not been disclosed. Union state secretary Elizabeth Dabars says industrial action is likely if its members do not get a better deal by Monday. "We are much closer that before on a number of important issues, however there are still some outstanding critical issues which we remain very far apart. That includes career structure and a number of other matters," she said.

International Business Times, August 10, 2010 South Australia's nurses and midwives warned on Monday that they may still go on strike if negotiations with the state government over pay raise, staffing and workload fail. Negotiations between the government and the Australian Nurses and Midwives Federation (ANMF) suffered a setback Monday when the group rejected a new pay offer by the state. Industrial Relations Minister Paul Holloway and ANMF SA secretary Elizabeth Dabars refused to divulge the amount of the offer. ... Dabars admitted that the offer was better than what they were expecting but staffing and workload issues have yet to be resolved. ... SA

Offer to be Reconsidered. Amit Pathania, TopNews, August 10, 2010 State Government gave a response over the wages and conditions claim of South Australian nurses, but the latter are not happy with it, and have said that the response is short of the mark. Elizabeth Dabars, State Secretary, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, informed that this wouldn’t be accepted by the members. Now, their proposals will be re-evaluated by the Government negotiators and will come to the federation by Friday. ... SA

ABC, August 10, 2010 The nurses union says its members may strike next Tuesday if the State Government does not improve its latest pay and conditions offer. The union says the offer leaves many critical issues unresolved, such as staffing levels. Elizabeth Dabars from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation says further negotiations are planned on Friday. "The matter of pay is only one aspect of something that is a very important and comprehensive claim. There are many issues that need to be addressed such as the staffing levels and professional development," she said. ... SA

AAP, August 10, 2010 South Australian nurses say a state government response to their wages and conditions claim has fallen short of the mark. Details of the package have not been revealed, but Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation state secretary Elizabeth Dabars said on Tuesday it would not be acceptable to members. She said government negotiators had agreed to reconsider their proposals and come back to the federation on Friday. ... SA

The Adelaide Advertiser, November 5, 2008 Two people, caught posing as nurses, were sent to prison last year. The Nurses Board of South Australia annual report for 2007-08 shows 36 people were caught `holding out', or practising without registration. Acting chief executive officer/registrar Kerry Whitehead said most just had neglected to renew registration. "The other kind of `holding out' is where they pretend to be nurses and they're not," she said. "That is very serious. We only investigate nurses or midwives. Anyone that we find out about we hand over to the police. They can only get away with it for so long," she said. ... Jail

The Age, October 30, 2008 Patients' lives are being put at risk by a shortage of experienced registered nurses, says a leading nursing expert. Professor Christine Duffield, director of the health services management centre at Sydney's University of Technology (UTS), says having the right skill mix in hospitals is vital for patient care. "Currently we have very inexperienced trainee nurses assisting junior medical staff in hospitals around the country and this impacts on patients," she said at a national forum on safety and quality in health care, in Adelaide. ... Patients

ABC News, July 13, 2007 Public hospital nurses in South Australia have
voted to accept a revised pay offer from the State Government. They are
to get an extra 14.5 per cent over three years plus improved working
conditions. It will mean an extra $233 a week for the average nurse.
Lee Thomas from the Australian Nursing Federation says it is two per
cent better than the original offer. ... SA

Jill Pengelley, July 5, 2007 Nurses have voted to lift elective surgery
bans until next Wednesday, while the Industrial Relations Commission
brokers talks with the Government. At a stopwork meeting in Adelaide
today, an overwhelming majority voted to accept the commission's
recommendation. The IRC will mediate on non-wage claims, such as
working conditions and allowances. The deadlocked pay dispute – with
the nurses demanding 14 per cent over two years and the Government
offering 10.5 over three – will be arbitrated by the commission.
Copyright 2007 News Limited.

ABC, July 5, 2007 South Australian public sector nurses have voted to
end work bans affecting elective surgery. Hundreds of nurses have held
a stop work meeting in Adelaide. The Industrial Relations Commission
had recommended the bans end. Lee Thomas of the Nursing Federation says
the pay and conditions dispute now returns to the Commission. She hopes
that lifting the bans will give momentum to resolving the dispute. ... SA