Nurses to go on a strike is a strong possibility - Union

Nurses are confused as to what is the actual salary increase under the new contracts that they are signing and their union says the likelihood for nurses to go on a strike is a strong possibility.

Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has already said that the salary and the increase is stated in the individual contracts of the civil servants.

However Fiji Nursing Association’s General Secretary Salanieta Matiavi says they are hoping to get a clarification from the government as most of the nurses are raising concerns that they are only getting a transitional 5% pay increase.

It was announced in the 2017/2018 National Budget that specialised nurses will get salary increases of 25% while nurse practitioners will get a 74% salary increase.

Matiavi says this has not eventuated and they will be conducting a secret ballot soon to see whether the nurses will go on a strike next month.

When questioned on what will happen to patients in hospitals and health centres if nurses will go on strike, Matiavi says nurses need to be satisfied by the government.

Matiavi says most nurses are not satisfied with the new contracts and they would like to go on strike.

There are over 2,000 nurses in the country and 1,500 nurses are members of the Fiji Nursing Association.