WA nurses union keeps fighting for wage increase despite historic $350k fine for strikes

The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) are continuing to fight for better wages despite being handed down the biggest fine in Western Australian Union History.

The Industrial Relations Commission fined the Nurses union $350,000 for a planned strike last year, which saw over 4000 nurses rallying outside state parliament for better pay increases.

Despite the fine, the union says they're not giving up on fighting for a five per cent wage increase as the state government remains firm on a lower three per cent rise.

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"Fining the ANF does nothing to improve the workloads and conditions that nurses and midwives in WA are undertaking every day," ANF State Secretary Janet Reah said.

MP Shane Love said the protests were a reaction to the government ignoring the Nurses Union.

"What we saw was frustration from the nurses caused by the government not wanting to deal with them in good faith," Love said.

Reah was fined $10,00 personally in relation to the protest.

"I don't know what they think I'm being paid, but I don't have 10-grand lying around," she said.

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Reah says the Nurse's union does not want to defy the state's industrial watchdog and would rather work with them to negotiate the increase.

"We're changing tact slightly and looking at clauses within the EBA that we can alter to get that monetary figure we need for the nurses and midwives."

ANF said they did not have any more strikes planned in the near future.

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