- by Graham Holton
- The Guardian
- Issue #2152
Photo: Public domain
UWU (United Workers Union) health support workers across South Australia have taken strike action at Glenside Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as part of their campaign for fair pay and against under-staffing. Workers demand a 20 per cent pay increase to bring them in line with counterparts in other states. Health support workers in theatres, patient transport, cleaning and sterilisation, and disability services are paid 20 per cent less than workers in other states. The union warned that underpayment, and resultant short-staffing, have produced a chronic ambulance ramping crisis, which State Premier Peter Malinauskas has still not fixed.
Roger Kay, Catering Attendant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said: “Every day, we see the impact of short staffing. When there’s no one to clean a cubicle in emergency or on a ward, South Australians are unnecessarily ramped in ambulances – sometimes for hours. “People are leaving these jobs because they simply can’t afford to stay. Some of my colleagues have cancelled health insurance or moved back in with family just to survive. The Premier says he wants to fix ramping – well, he can’t do that without fixing staffing, and he can’t fix staffing without fixing our pay.”
Demi Pnevmatikos, United Workers Union SA State Secretary and National Public Sector Director, said: “A 20 per cent pay adjustment to match other states is the fastest, cheapest way to end chronic short staffing and deliver on the Premier’s commitment to fixing ramping.” UWU delegate and Disability Services Officer, Sam Bannon, said: “We are some of the highest-trained disability services officers, but we receive some of the lowest remuneration possible.”
These actions are part of a broader state-wide industrial campaign by UWU members. Since February, more than 1,000 health support workers and over 1,100 Department of Human Services (DHS) disability support workers have implemented work bans to demand fair pay and to end chronic understaffing.
On 26 June UWU delegates addressed workers on the stairs of Parliament House as part of the state-wide industrial campaign. Work bans continue.
