May 26, 2010

Queensland nurses win industrial commission meeting

BrisbaneTimes.com.au

Queensland nurses have won an urgent meeting with health authorities over bungled pay.

The Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) says its push for an urgent conference with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) has been granted wand a meeting has been scheduled for 1pm on Thursday.

Tens of thousands of nurses and hospital workers have been underpaid, overpaid or not paid at all due to glitches in new payroll software that came online in March.

The union wants the QIRC to direct Queensland Health to provide more payroll and administrative support to address the payroll debacle.

QNU secretary Gay Hawksworth says Queensland Health won't guarantee the current payroll problems will be fixed by mid-June.

"All Queensland Health keeps talking about at the moment is `stabilisation' of the new system," Ms Hawksworth said.

"Therefore it is time to put the issue before the QIRC again, so the independent umpire can help us determine exactly what that means.

"We also want the QIRC to help clarify just what Queensland Health means when it says no employee will be financially disadvantaged."