00:01This is an historic pay rise that's been awarded to NSW nurses and midwives today.
00:07One that they say has been hard fought for in the Industrial Relations Commission.
00:11It amounts to an up to 28% pay rise for some of the state's lowest paid nurses and midwives
00:18who say that they have been struggling with the cost of living and that their work has been significantly undervalued.
00:24Nurses and midwives were asking for 35%.
00:27They've been awarded today a 10% pay rise for registered nurses in the first year
00:33backdated to the 1st of July last year with a 3% pay rise in the following two years.
00:39Enrolled nurses will receive a 12% pay rise and assistant nurses a 22% pay rise in that first
00:46year
00:46both with 3% in the two years to come.
00:50It's a significant pay rise for some of the state's most underpaid nurses and midwives
00:55and in handing down the decision today the Industrial Relations Commission
00:59talked about the significant undervaluing of women's work in particular.
01:03They said that 90% of nurses and midwives across the state are women
01:08and that historically that ability to care had been undervalued and was not being reflected in pay.
01:15However, the NSW Government's current economic state was also taken into account.
01:20The Industrial Relations Commission said that 35% pay rise was just not feasible.
01:25The 7% would probably help but it's still a very disappointing outcome.
01:34Our members have been wishing for a great outcome for us.
01:41Just saying that, acknowledging that we are undervalued
01:46and acknowledging that there is a gender pay gap is not enough.
01:51We aren't too far away from the NSW State Budget
01:54and so the Treasurer Daniel Mookie is going to need to consider
01:56what impact today's decision has on his bottom line.
02:00He says the Government has always expected to be paying essential workers more
02:04and that this impact, he says, will be manageable.
02:07My own expectation is that the additional costs will be in the billions of dollars.
02:13That's to be expected given that this is the biggest cohort of workers
02:18in the NSW health system.
02:21Just to give an indication, however, of the bottom line impact,
02:25the Industrial Relations Commission said each extra 1% of pay handed to nurses and midwives
02:31is likely to cost the Government an extra $74.5 million a year.
02:37But I really can't keep going.
02:38I think, I'm really all safe if we can keep going.
02:38Let's see if there is a big deal.
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