Perth Children’s Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner staff to walk off job amid pay rise fight

Hundreds of staff at Perth Children’s Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will walk off the job for half an hour on Wednesday as they demand a pay rise. Hospital workers and the United Workers Union and Health Services Union will join forces as part of an ongoing campaign. The UWU covers a range of low-paid workers in the health system such as support workers, kitchen and cleaning staff, and enrolled nurses, while HSU members range from allied health professionals and technicians to ward clerks. The protest, which will also receive backing from education support workers, is the latest headache for the Cook Government as it tries to negotiate with public sector unions to avoid strike action. The two unions are part of a public sector alliance of unions demanding a 12 per cent pay rise over two years — a demand made possible by the Government’s decision to scrap its restrictive wage policy and instead bargain with unions on a case-by-case basis. UWU and HSU last held a joint stop-work action at Fiona Stanley on May 1, with hundreds gathering outside the hospital in Murdoch to protest. Neither union has received an offer since then. UWU spokesperson Lisa Judge said stagnant wages had left workers facing losing their homes. “After five years of wage policies that barely kept them afloat, too many Western Australian workers are facing financial disaster,” Ms Judge said. “Nurses and support workers don’t expect to get rich working in public hospitals, but they certainly shouldn’t expect to be worse off every year. “The last pay rise barely kept workers above water, and now they’re close to drowning again.” PCH support worker Arinic said hospitals would stop functioning without workers like her. “Without workers, patients don’t get to their CT scans, X-rays don’t happen, meals don’t get delivered, and blood samples never go to the lab,” she said. “We love our jobs, but we need to be respected. All we’re asking is for the Government to pay us like they think our work matters.” The stop work will be supported by education support staff taking action by holding meetings and wearing red as a campaign colour. The Government has made some progress with the public sector alliance, securing an endorsement from the State School Teachers Union for a 12 per cent pay rise over three years. The offer — currently being considered by members — saw the union call off a second half-day strike, avoiding school closures. Transperth transit officers were the first union to ratify a new wage and condition deal after the restrictive policy was scrapped. Members of the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union refrained from issuing fines for passengers not buying tickets on the last Friday of March. But they cancelled plans to repeat the action a month later after being offered a 12.5 per cent wage hike over three years.