Angry essential health workers will take part in industrial action to preserve free hospital parking and free public transport.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the union met with Health Minister Chris Picton to raise concerns about removing the provisions, but the Government remained steadfast in reinstating the impost on hospital workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssential health workers at Lyell McEwin Hospital are holding a one hour stop work meeting at 1:30pm today to underline how important access to free parking and public transport is to keep hospitals and health services running smoothly,” Paul Blackmore, Public Sector Co-ordinator, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis $1200-a-year car parking charge is a significant financial burden for a hospital cleaner who earns $27 an hour \u2013 and their stories are heart-breaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnited Workers Union cleaners, orderlies, security guards, catering attendants and sterilising technicians \u2013 the people who keep hospitals running \u2013 are working double shifts, overtime and constantly understaffed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn April 2020 when free parking was introduced there were about 430 cases in South Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow there are about 16,000 active cases, we are racking up about 3000 cases a day and the third wave is predicted to peak in July with about 5,000 Covid cases a day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kerry says: \u201cI am dreading having to walk to work at 6am in winter. I feel unsafe, and it\u2019s already making me anxious. If SA Health is desperate for good staff, why would the Government make the job even more difficult for us?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Karen says: \u201cSomething would have to be surrendered. I look after my grandchildren during school holidays when I can. Once during their holidays I take them for a treat, it may be the movies. This one treat is the thing that will have to go. Having to pay to go to work would mean that my grandkids are paying the price and that is appalling.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWhen in Opposition the current Government campaigned for free access to include as many health workers as possible,\u201d Mr Blackmore said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe then Opposition Health spokesperson, now the Health Minister, wrote on his Facebook page: \u2018ALL of our healthcare heroes deserve free parking when they go to work.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cFree parking and public transport was granted to health workers in April 2020 as a recognition of unprecedented pressure facing the health system.<\/p>\n \u201cThe headline news here is that nothing has changed, in fact things are much, much worse.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven health workers were offered free parking and free public transport to keep the health system running smoothly in a time of crisis, that reason is even more valid today as we approach 5000 cases daily.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that inflation is galloping at 5.1 per cent and workers are going backwards on a pay deal well below inflation, it makes even more sense that this access is kept in place.\u201d<\/p>\n