1986 Strike
Critical Care Walkouts
As negotiations again broke down in the IRC, nurses in the emergency wards at two of Victoria’s busiest hospitals, the Royal Women’s Hospital and the Preston and Northcote Community Hospital, voted to walk out on 8 December. The walkout of critical care nurses was the most radical action taken by nurses over the course of the strike, and was undoubtedly the catalyst for bringing the strike to an end. Ken Williams, Acting Commissioner of the State Industrial Relations Commission, held the RANF leadership wholly responsible for the continuation of the strike and the breakdown in negotiations:
“The RANF leadership and some of its members are to be condemned for their bloody-minded attitude in escalating industrial action in critical care areas of Victoria’s public hospitals...” (Davis)
Despite the criticism from the commission, the government and hospital management, who again called on the Premier to invoke the Essential Services Act, Irene Bolger maintained that nurses were entitled to strike in order to obtain a satisfactory resolution to negotiations:
“[T]hey have every right to do whatever they wish to bring this matter to a resolution. If it means they have to walk out of those areas to do that then that is what they will do and I support them in that.” (Davis)
As observed by Ilsa Colson, the walkouts from critical care were the last straw for everyone involved. The walkouts placed an immense strain on the public, the government and particularly the hospitals. The Government sought to employ nursing aides, “State Enrolled Nurses” to fulfil the tasks of absent nurses. To avoid disruption, linen was being delivered under police protection. In order to rush pregnant women through, hospitals were inducing labour artificially by breaking the waters. The Australian Hospitals Association cited numerous examples of seriously ill people being unable to get into massively understaffed hospitals. At the Royal Women’s Hospital, the number of operations per day had been reduced from 50 to 5.
The IRC issued another return to work order on the 16th December. The RANF complied on this occasion, directing critical care nurses at 7 hospitals to return to work. The ACTU and the RANF presented a joint submission to the IRC, hoping to finally resolve the strike.
On 19 December, RANF members voted to return to work, following an increased offer from the State Government. The Industrial Relations Commission award issued in January 1987 implemented the new nursing career structure sought by the RANF, and provided for substantial wage gains.
The University of Melbourne
Published Sources
Newspaper Articles
- Davis, Mark, 'Commission condemns nurse union's leaders', The Age, 9 December 1986: 1