Hospital faces more strike action over pay

JOHN BISSET/ The Timaru Herald

FAIR PAY: Timaru Hospital administration staff on strike protesting their low pay rates.

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Disgruntled Timaru Hospital administration staff have walked off the job again and industrial action is likely to escalate this week.

Forty-three of the 92 administration staff staged a protest in front of Timaru Hospital yesterday between 8.30am and 9.30am.

The protest was part of South Island-wide industrial action by members of the Public Service Association.

More than 800 administration and clerical staff protested being paid less than their North Island counterparts.

The PSA has planned a three-hour strike on Friday between 11.30am and 2.30pm.

PSA members will join Service and Food Workers Union and New Zealand Educational Institute members for a rally protesting low pay to be held on the corner of Strathallan and Stafford streets, between 12.30pm and 1.30pm that day. Timaru Hospital orderlies, food service workers, cleaners and security staff, who are members of the SFWU, will also be striking between 11am and 3pm on Friday.

PSA member and Timaru Hospital worker Gavin Cain said:

"We're striking because it's unfair we're being paid less than workers at North Island hospitals who do the same work. "Why should we be paid less just because we live in the South Island?"

Mr Cain said the Government needed to work with district health boards to ensure that hospital workers were paid fairly.

Yesterday's action followed an hour long strike at Timaru Hospital on Friday afternoon, PSA assistant national secretary Warwick Jones said.

"This is the second time these workers have gone on strike to protest being paid less than staff doing the same work at North Island hospitals.

"Clerical staff working for North Island district health boards have a bottom pay rate of $30,500 while the South Island clerical workers' pay starts at $27,641 – just 78 cents an hour above the minimum wage."

South Canterbury District Health Board chief executive Chris Fleming said the strike had not caused any problems.

"Due to contingency planning there was no direct effect on patient services, but it does create a backlog of activities.

"We have contingency plans in place for Friday also."

SFWU National Secretary John Ryall said more than 2700 public hospital service workers would strike for four hours on Friday.

Negotiations with the district health boards and some contracting companies had been taking place since May but during this time there had been no movement in the nil increase that was on offer.

"Despite the DHBs being given a government funding increase of 3.1 per cent this year they are refusing to pass on even one cent of that to the lowest paid hospital workers," Mr Ryall said.

"We have been told by the DHBs that the Government has instructed them that there will be no increase in any public hospital agreement wage rate this year without specific agreement of the minister of health."

- © Fairfax NZ News