Health Workers and Members of the Health Services Union of WA (HSUWA) and United Workers Union (UWU) will commence stop work action at QEII Medical Campus in Nedlands this Wednesday 6 July.
The Stop Work Meeting will be attended by hundreds of essential Health Workers, who do not accept the McGowan Government’s State Wages Policy and want a fair pay offer. We also expect support from other Public Sector Alliance Union Members.
The Stop Work Meeting at QEII will take place from 12:30pm sharp on the grassed area between Perth Children’s Hospital and the multistorey car park. Media are invited to a press conference at 12:00pm, where union officials and workers will be available to speak.
HSUWA and UWU maintain the current State Wages Policy of an annual pay increase of 2.75 or 2.5% + $1000) is inadequate and disrespectful to Health Workers, who continue to go above and beyond, in response to the pandemic and the relentless demand for services.
Under the policy, Health Workers’ wages will be cut significantly in real terms. The annual Perth CPI for the March quarter was 7.6%. The McGowan Government’s policy adds insult to injury after five consecutive years of wage suppression and cuts for the purposes of Budget Repair, even after the Budget is back in huge surplus. WA has both the lowest wage growth and the highest inflation rate compared to the other States.
UWU and HSUWA Members will take a series of planned industrial actions over July and August in response. It makes no sense to try to entice workers to WA from other parts of the world or interstate while doing nothing to retain our existing experienced and dedicated Western Australian health workforce. Other State Governments have already realised this, and acted with NSW and QLD revising their public sector pay offers in recent weeks, and NSW and Victoria making additional $3,000 retention payments to health workers.
Naomi McCrae, Secretary of the Health Services Union of WA said, “The McGowan Government needs to offer a fair pay deal to our dedicated health workforce. It is vital to retain experienced staff as well as attract new staff. Because of inaction, the predicted understaffing spiral is well underway. Insecure jobs, workload increases, tough conditions, combined with real wages cuts, is making public health jobs unattractive and hard to fill.”
Carolyn Smith, WA State Secretary of the United Workers Union said, “More than 90 per cent of United Workers Union health workers rejected the current pay offer because it simply does not give people what they need to live. Without a fair pay increase, health workers are working two jobs, unable to pay for school uniforms and unable to pay for petrol to get to work. Without a fairly-paid health workforce, the health care for our community suffers. Western Australians deserve better.”
Media Contacts:
Alex Biddle / Communications Officer HSUWA / E: [email protected] M: 0438 889 372
United Workers Union media team / E: [email protected] / P: 1300 898 633
About the HSUWA
Health Services Union of WA is a specialised union of health workers in Western Australia. HSUWA Members are Allied Health, Medical Scientists, Health Technicians and Administrators. This includes for example: Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Medical Imagining Technologists, Anaesthetic Technicians, Laboratory Technicians, Researchers and Librarians, Security Officers, Payroll, Ward Clerks and more. For an extensive list of who belongs to our union, visit our website hsuwa.com.au
Our public sector industrial agreement covers more than 18,000 people in WA public health. The current agreement expired on 30 June 2022.
HSUWA is a growing union, organising and campaigning for better pay and conditions and careers for our members.
About UWU
United Workers Union represents WA essential workers across public health and education sectors, including enrolled nurses, cleaners, caterers and patient service attendants in health, plus education assistants, canteen workers, maintenance workers and and other workers in publicly-run schools.
Earlier this year 90 per cent of United Workers Union members in both health and education rejected the McGowan Government’s current pay offer.
UWU represents over 150,000 workers from all walks of life across Australia. Throughout our history, we’ve shown when working people come together, we win.
About the Public Sector Alliance
The HSUWA and UWU form part of the Public Sector Alliance of thousands of Western Australian public sector Union Members. We are calling on the State Government to stop supressing the wages of the low- and middle-income earners who make up our essential and valuable public sector workforce and commit to genuine bargaining.
The Alliance also includes the WA Police Union, CPSU/CSA, RTBUWA and others, as well as Unions WA. Read more.