Health professionals and clinical assistants around Queensland will take industrial action on Friday in their fight to secure better conditions and safer staffing to improve the sector.
United Workers Union members overwhelmingly voted to take protected action following an unacceptable enterprise bargaining agreement offer from Queensland Health.
The Union represents highly trained health professionals such as medical imaging staff, including radiographers, radiation therapists, nuclear medicine scientists, as well as pharmacists, oral health professionals, and clinical assistants whose work is essential but often unseen.
The previous EBA expired on 16 October, after months of unsuccessful bargaining. The offer put forward by the department did not address members’ key claims on issues like workload, conditions and staffing levels – things members say will directly impact patient care. Alarmingly the current offer proposes to cut existing attraction and retention allowances. United Workers Union members have made it clear they cannot support any agreement that makes cuts of this nature.
Members will take action at worksites around the state, which will include action that will not affect patient care: providing business cards to patients asking them to support workers by signing an open letter to the health minister; writing messages of protest on windows, doors and notice boards; and bans on work which does not impact urgent patient care.
The Union’s Queensland Health and Ambulance Coordinator Fiona Scalon said members would continue to escalate protected industrial action until the department recognised the workers’ value with a reasonable offer.
“These health professionals are essential workers who keep our healthcare system functioning,” she said.
“They are highly trained, highly skilled and incredibly hard workers who are at risk of burnout due to unrealistic workloads and declining conditions.
“When Queensland Health refuses to realistically address these issues, they put both workers and patients at risk.
“Our system cannot function with the people making the diagnoses, treating the patients, and dispensing the medicine. Privatising services like these only leads to disaster, as the media has reported on several times.
“When you cut conditions and ignore workload concerns, you’re gambling with patient safety. We’ll continue to stand with our members until they get the conditions and deal they and the Queensland public deserve.”
Queensland Health has sought the assistance of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission for conciliation, with hearings due to start on Friday, where the parties will continue to negotiate in order to reach an agreement in the dispute.