Over a year since negotiations began, the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association has accepted a four per cent pay rise, in a narrow members' vote. It has left over 40 per cent of nurses disappointed. 

“We remain determined to pressure the government because more needs to be done to retain nurses in the public sector,” Warren NSWNMA branch secretary and local RN Sarah Webb said. 

Despite being happy for the aged care sector in securing their pay rise of 15 per cent, Ms Webb fears what the disparity in pay rises might mean for an already understaffed region. 

“As a rural area, we’re already struggling to maintain our staffing levels. And now the government’s given an opportunity for people to leave to get a better pay in the aged care sector,” Ms Webb said.

“The public system will be left stranded again…and that scares me."

The new agreement will include a four per cent pay offer and 0.5 per cent superannuation increase. 

Staff ratios - a foundation of the industrial action - were not included in the new agreement. 

“There’s no real difference for us. We’re still working short staffed, still exhausted and still have really high workloads.” 

With drawing staff already difficult, Ms Webb fears that rural NSW could be left behind. 

“Our community is suffering every day, I’m seeing the slip in health care.”

“We’re not going to get (extra staff). They’re going to go to the Northern Territory or to Queensland, Victoria, any other state but NSW,” she said. 

The 4.5 per cent increase is the biggest pay increase for nurses and midwives in over a decade, and has been described as a government decision to scrap the wages ca.

“We will still continue to fight, to promote in the community the short staff and spread awareness about our fight for ratios,” Ms Webb said. 

“Watch this space.”