Queenslanders visiting major hospitals across Queensland today should expect delays to MRIs, X-rays and ultrasounds as over 200 medical imaging department staff walk off the job for 2 hours.
Queensland Medical Imaging health workers are taking industrial action and walking off the job between 1pm and 3pm today (EDS: 13 February) – their first strike action since 2008 – over a stalemate with Queensland Health about pay and conditions.
A total of 14 hospitals across the state from Cairns to the Gold Coast, are expected to be impacted by reduced medical imaging capacities during the strike.
Radiographers, sonographers, radiology sonographers and medical imaging assistants are highly skilled medical professionals who provide vital diagnostic and medical services, using MRIs, X-rays and ultrasounds helping to diagnose, monitor and treat a range of life-threatening injuries and illnesses including brain bleeds, cancers and foetal genetic abnormalities.
The historic industrial action taken by medical imaging staff is in response to months of intractable negotiations between Queensland Health officials and the United Workers Union.
Despite months of negotiations, Queensland Health has refused to accept or negotiate around any of the United Workers Union log of claims for health workers.
United Workers Union members in Queensland Health have taken 120 days of rolling industrial action, calling on the Health Minister Tim Nicholls to intervene and honour his word to “pay health workers what they are worth”.
The impact of Minister Nicholls’ stonewalling tactics is already being felt by patients in Queensland with the loss of specialised staff critical to cancer treatment.
As of January 2026, 6 of the only 75 nuclear medicine specialists who operate in Queensland have resigned from Queensland Health following the decision by the Health Minister to cut $30,000 or 25% of their annual salary.
The United Workers Union fears more essential health workers could be forced to leave the system if pay and conditions don’t improve in Queensland Health.
Quotes attributable to Fiona Scalon, Health Co-ordinator, United Workers Union
“If the Health Minister does not step in and direct his department to start negotiating fairly with health workers, he runs the risk of losing more critical health workers if he continues down this road. Health workers will leave the system, moving interstate or to the private sector if something doesn’t change.
“Queenslanders want their hospitals fully funded and critical health workers to be paid properly.
“Tim Nichollas can’t say he ‘wants health workers to be paid what they are worth’ when his own department is stonewalling attempts by Queensland Health workers to reach a fair deal and put food on the table for their families in a cost-of-living crisis.”
Impacted Hospitals:
- Toowoomba Hospital
- Cairns Hospital
- Atherton Hospital
- Mareeba Hospital
- Townsville University Hospital
- Nambour Hospital
- Sunshine Coast University Hospital
- Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital
- Princess Alexandria Hospital
- Logan Hospital
- Robina Hospital
- Gold Coast University Hospital
- Mackay Hospital