Nurses accept eight per cent pay offer

Thu 26 Jun 2008

NSW nurses have voted overwhelmingly to accept the state government's offer of an eight per cent pay increase over the next two years.

Nurses Association of NSW general secretary Brett Holmes said 91 per cent of members approved the pay offer of 3.9 per cent per year starting in July.

But, he said, the deal meant nurses' wages would merely keep up with inflation.

"Certainly, with the current inflation rate and the forecast inflation rate, it's not putting nurses ahead," Mr Holmes told AAP.

"We have come to the conclusion that it is the best outcome that we are going to get in this current round given the government's wages policy."

In a separate negotiation, the association secured pay increases for clinical nurse specialists and clinical nurse educators, he said.