Overview

• Stage 2 protected industrial action began at 7 a.m. on July 8 with nurses withdrawing from non-clinical duties such as bed making, meal deliveries and waste handling.
• The Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union rejected an 11 per cent wage offer over three years and is pressing for a 13 per cent pay rise to preserve top national salaries.
• Health Minister Tim Nicholls describes the government’s proposal as nation-leading with an overtime double-time package and notes a record $33 billion health budget.
• The dispute has been referred to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission for conciliation and the union warns of further escalation if its pay demands are unmet.
• Nurses cite chronic burnout, unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios and staffing shortages as key grievances but stress that all clinical care will continue uninterrupted.