Queenslanders who rely on vital health services are facing the prospect of longer wait times and serious treatment delays as Government inaction pushes highly skilled health professionals to leave the sector.
Radiation therapists and nuclear medicine scientists across the state are preparing to stop work on Wednesday 3 December in response to a pay offer so inadequate it would leave some workers facing pay cuts or moving interstate just to keep up with the cost of living.
The stop work is part of escalating industrial action after the Government proposed an agreement which would see some lose up to $30,000 in take home pay.
More than 330 health workers will walk off the job at hospitals around Queensland, many of them stopping work for the whole day.
United Workers Union Queensland Health and Ambulance Coordinator Fiona Scalon said the planned actions would not put patients at risk, but would show how essential these trained professionals are to the health system.
“Our members are dedicated to serving Queenslanders. From pain-relief during palliative care, to life-saving cancer treatments – radiation therapists and nuclear medicine scientists do highly-skilled, vital work,” Ms Scalon said.
“They care about patients, and there are mitigations in place to make sure no sick patients miss out on treatment during the stop works.
“Now it’s time for Queensland Health to show some care, and negotiate a fair offer that doesn’t force these professionals to seek work elsewhere and leave our health system short-staffed and overburdened.
“These stop works are just a taste of what the health system will be like if we lose these skilled experts.
“Cuts of this magnitude will mean these highly qualified health professionals will need to make choices about staying in these jobs or working somewhere that values their skills fairly.
“If we lose nuclear medicine and radiation therapy in the public health system, patients will have to rely on private providers, leaving our most vulnerable Queenslanders at risk.”
Queensland Health applied to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission for conciliation on 27 October, following months of stalled negotiations led by the Union.