Nurses have spoken about being “trapped” in a job in which they feel burnt out, underpaid and unappreciated and about why they rejected the “shocking” government proposals on pay and working conditions.

On Tuesday evening, 97.6 per cent of Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses members voted “No” to a financial package that the government said would increase their take-home pay by around €6,000 a year by the end of the agreement period.

The union said this figure could only be met if nurses worked overtime and up to 56 hours a week.

I love my job but they are making me hate it

Some of the hundreds of nurses and midwives who rejected the proposal said they were already exhausted by the work and could not comprehend having to work even longer hours to earn a decent salary.

“I work 46 hours a week and, already, I feel burnt out,” said one mental health nurse. “Some colleagues left and were not replaced, placing a bigger caseload on those of us that remained. This has a ripple effect: it’s harder to take leave, coping with the number of patients is harder, you feel you are not giving patients the best care they deserve. You feel disempowered.”

Another nurse who worked at the Gozo General Hospital agreed, saying that, to add to the burnout, there was an added layer – “if something goes wrong with a patient, the nurse is responsible. The responsibility is huge.”

All the nurses who spoke to Times of Malta asked not to be named because they worried about how speaking out might impact their working life.

“People not agreeing to the collective agreement being given might be interpreted as being against the government, which is not the case: nurses deserve better pays and working conditions,” one nurse said.

‘Politics plays a huge role. Environment is toxic’

“Politics plays a huge role in here [Mater Dei Hospital].

"The environment is toxic. If they label you as agreeing with one political party, they make your life a living hell. You can, for example, be transferred to a section you never worked in, which is ultimately detrimental to patients,” she said.

One nurse said that nurses were irked by the fact that they would be treated differently to other professionals who work in hospital. One example is the use of a palm reader to record attendance.

The salary packages suggested by the government would not address burnout since most nurses would still have to work overtime to make ends meet – and that extra money earned was often paid in taxes, they said.

Taking time off was very hard and instead of taking leave – which was difficult – many nurses ended up swapping shifts and this contributed to burnout.

“Working as a nurse is rewarding but stressful,” said one. “Over time, the rewarding part of the job stops being enough – financially, physically and mentally. We hear a lot about how many operations are being held at Mater Dei but we never hear about how many nurses get injured at work: slip discs and other injuries.”

'We just want to be listened to'

Another nurse described the government’s proposals as “shocking” and said that all this was making nurses feel “illtreated”. Many are leaving the profession or looking for a way out.

“I became a nurse because it’s something I wanted. I love my job but they are making me hate it. I will leave at the first opportunity, which is not easy. I have a degree in nursing so what can I do? I feel trapped,” she said.

“We just want to be listened to. We need backup, better conditions and a better work-life balance,” she said.

MUMN president Paul Pace earlier this week listed several grievances over the proposed package. While the extra 6.6 hours nurses work as overtime would be compensated, he said this would only come into effect after a year. Unlike in the police, where officers charge an overtime above 46 hours as an extra duty at 10 per cent tax, the government proposed a bonus system, meaning they would have to work 56 hours a week to apply, he said.

The government said their proposal offered significant increases in allowances and followed on from a previous sectoral agreement that included hefty increases.