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The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has vowed to fight any attempts by the Abbott Government to abolish penalty rates and other workplace awards for nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing.

Acting ANMF Federal Secretary, Yvonne Chaperon, warned that stripping away workplace awards would only compound Australia鈥檚 critical shortage of nurses, with Australia needing 109,000 nurses by 2025. In the aged care sector alone, 20,000 nurses are currently needed to meet the challenges of Australia鈥檚 rapidly ageing population.

鈥淣urses and midwives can鈥檛 be living in fear of losing their penalty rates and loadings,鈥� Ms Chaperon Thomas said.

鈥淎fter all, they鈥檙e called to provide quality care at any hour of the day or night, weekends, public holidays and special days like Christmas 鈥� being taken away from their family and friends.

鈥淲hen they get to work, they鈥檙e experiencing dangerously high workloads, because there鈥檚 no mandated nurse to patient ratios.

鈥淕iven that nursing and midwifery is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week profession, it鈥檚 only fair and reasonable that they continue to receive fair and proper remuneration.

鈥淧enalty rates and shift loadings make up to 40 per cent of a Registered Nurse or Midwife鈥檚 actual remuneration as a result of their 24/7 work hours. Therefore taking away their penalties would mean a huge cut to their minimum wage.

鈥漈here will be little hope of retaining the current generation of nurses and midwives, let alone recruiting a future workforce, if the Abbott Government takes away these long-held entitlements.

鈥淎s a nation, it鈥檚 crucial that Australia needs to start building a nursing and midwifery workforce for the future. But that won鈥檛 happen if the Government makes nursing and midwifery less attractive by stripping away awards.

鈥淭he ANMF鈥檚 growing membership is angry and concerned and will fight any attempt to change the existing awards system.

鈥淭heir message to the Abbott Government is loud and clear; 鈥榟ands off our penalty rates鈥�.鈥�