The jobs Wollongong nurses will refuse to do under new work-to-rule bans

Union members have put new work bans in place, which means they will refuse to clean beds and equipment, pick up patient meals from the kitchen or empty bins and linen skips.

They will also be taking all their awarded drink and meal breaks, and will not answer the hospital's main phone or doors to their wards between 8am and 11pm.

Also, as of September 2, union members will not take on any overtime or extra shifts for 24 hours from 7am each Monday, which is typically the hospital's busiest day.

In the ED, union members will also refuse to do certain administration tasks including signing people out of the department, and will not do blood work for non-critical patients.

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Wollongong Hospital branch delegate Ben Wyer said the work bans had made a noticeable difference inside the hospital since they started on August 30, and that the overtime ban in particular had "caused a pretty big stir" on its first day this week.

"It definitely caused a fair bit of an issue and we were down on staff," he said.

"We are basically just going to stop doing jobs that have been allocated to nurses that aren't really part of our job, but that have piled up time.

"They just end up getting done by the nurses because we're the ones on the floor, but it takes away from time we can devote to patient care.

"Now we're at breaking point, so we're not doing the linen skips, not pushing beds and wheelchairs, not restocking, not picking up meals, and we'll be taking our breaks and that sort of thing."

"Doing non-emergency bloods is essentially is a doctor's job, but with us not doing that it's causing quite a lot of chaos in terms of increasing waiting times and patient frustration."

Union members voted to put the "work-to-rule" bans in place following a mass walk-out from nurses and midwives in Wollongong, and around the state, last week.

It's part of their campaign to get the NSW Government to commit to a 15 per cent pay rise, and nurses have pledged to escalate the action if their demands are not met.

Wollongong NSWNMA branch president Bianca Vergouw said nurses were sick of waiting for their conditions to improve.

"Our branch, like many others in the state, is committed to keeping the pressure on the state government to do what's right by us and our community," she said.

[The government] had had since July 1 to do the right thing and have chosen not to - we have no choice but to now take action that will cause disruption to the delivery of services and to escalate that disruption."

Likewise, Mr Wyer said nurses and midwives did not want to inconvenience the public but felt they had no choice.

"We are there to look after our community when they really need it and we want to be able to provide good care, but we need safe staffing and also better conditions and pay for our nurses," he said.

"Realistically, industrial action - which will escalate if needed - is our only option."

He encouraged people who experienced increased "chaos" at Wollongong Hospital to contact NSW Health Minister and local MP Ryan Park.

"Long waiting times aren't a new concept to ED, but we want to highlight how much nurses are doing throughout the hospital to keep the system propped up," he said.

Mr Park said the action was being closely monitored and is not impacting patient care.

"I understand the Local Health District has plans in place to ensure any industrial action has minimal impacts on patients and services at our hospitals," he said.

"Nursing duties are continuing to be undertaken as required, including supporting at-risk patients upon discharge with follow-up phone calls.

"As always, we will work closely and constructively with workers and their unions."

He said negotiations with nurses were ongoing, with a number of meetings have been held between NSW Health and the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association since a log of claims was served in May 2024.

"Since taking office, the NSW Government has invested heavily in the health workforce including major priorities identified by the union and workforce," he said.

"Last year the NSW Government abolished the wages cap and delivered the largest pay rise for nurses and midwives in over a decade, with the majority of NSWNMA members voting to accept this 4.5% wages offer.

"We've increased the number of nurses by over 2,000 FTE since taking office and have increased retention rates back to pre-COVID levels."