Statement in support of NSW healthcare workers’ strike action

The Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA) stands in solidarity with NSW nurses, midwives, doctors, and psychiatrists taking industrial action over critical issues including unsafe staffing levels, unsustainable workloads, and inadequate pay.

As postgraduate students, many of us rely on public healthcare services, with some also training as future healthcare professionals in these same systems. The current conditions faced by healthcare workers directly impact student welfare in several ways:

1. Access to quality healthcare: Many postgraduate students, particularly international students and those with chronic conditions or disabilities, depend on accessible public healthcare. Understaffing and burnout among healthcare workers compromise the quality and availability of these essential services.
2. Mental health support: The potential ‘collapse’ of psychiatric care in NSW due to staffing shortages, as highlighted in recent court proceedings, is particularly concerning for students already navigating high-stress academic environments.
3. Future workplace conditions: For our medical and nursing students, these strikes represent a fight for the conditions they will inherit as they enter the workforce.

Safe nurse-to-patient ratios, reasonable working hours, and fair compensation for healthcare workers are not just employment issues, they are public health imperatives that affect us all. SUPRA recognises that when healthcare workers advocate for better conditions, they are also advocating for better patient care.

We call on the NSW Government to meaningfully engage with healthcare workers’ demands for safe staffing levels, particularly the implementation of mandated nurse-to-patient ratios, appropriate support for specialised areas like psychiatry, and fair compensation that reflects the critical nature of their work.

SUPRA encourages students to support our healthcare workers as they fight for a system that will better serve all members of our community.

Written by Gemma Lucy Smart, SUPRA Disabilities Officer.