Health workers across seven Adelaide hospitals to strike over steep carparking fees

One hundred health workers across seven major hospitals in Adelaide have walked off the job this morning over costly carparking fees at hospitals.

Health workers at seven Adelaide hospitals walked off the job today in protest of steep carparking fees.

The strike action is said to be in response to the state government’s “failure to listen to serious concerns about the introduction of hospital carparking and public transport fees”.

About 100 members of the United Workers Union across the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Repat, Flinders Medical Centre, Noarlunga Hospital, Women’s and Children’s and Lyell McEwin took place in the strike.

The two hour stop work action will happened from 7am to 9am Friday.

About 100 members of the United Workers Union take part in the strike. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

Health workers will today strike over steep carparking fees at Adelaide hospitals. Royal Adelaide Hospital. Picture: NCA NewsWire

“These workers are some of the state’s lowest paid health workers, including hospital cleaners, orderlies, catering attendants and sterilisation technicians, who will be slugged up to $1300 a year just to be able to get to work,” Paul Blackmore of the United Workers Union said.

“Workers have raised their concerns about the fees but they continue to be dismissed, with SA Health pushing ahead with plans to impose fees that will be devastating to workers.

“For a hospital cleaner who is making $27 an hour, imposing parking fees of $1300 is the equivalent of a pay cut of more than two per cent.”

The states’s nursing union members were originally set to take place in the strike action but have now entered enterprise agreement negotiations with the state government over the fees.

“We had made it clear to employer representatives that if these delays continued then we would be approaching our members and inviting them to consider action” Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars, of the union, said.

“We are pleased that the Premier has instructed SA Government negotiators to expedite a resolution in the coming weeks.”

The SA Greens joined calls for the state government to reinstate free carparking and public transport for all hospital workers.

“Hospital workers have been carrying a heavy burden during this pandemic. Rather than

rewarding these workers, the state government is instead slugging them with carparking

and public transport fees. It’s outrageous,” Greens MLC Robert Simms said.

Mr Simms also called for thank you payments for hospital works, which happened in Victoria and New South Wales.

Mr Blackmore urged the state government to “show some understanding” of cost of living pressures.

“Workers are reporting that with sky-high petrol prices, grocery bills and energy costs, there is no room for them to move on this, and that’s why they are forced to take strike action.”