Hospital security guards dealing with violence are owed almost three years in back pay

As hospital staff increasingly call for help dealing with violent and aggressive people, The Advertiser can reveal hospital security guards dealing with danger are owed years of back pay.

Hospital security guards dealing with rising rates of violence are owed almost three years back

pay with no sign of when they will get the cash.

Furious guards accuse the state government of “dragging the chain” in forcing contractor MSS Security to pay the money during a cost-of-living-crisis — but the SA Health says the calculations are “complex.”

The cash crunch relates to a pay parity deal achieved under the former Labor government where contractor guards were supposed to win pay parity with state public servants doing the same job.

Damaged doors at Riverland Hospital after a violent incident with a patient. Pictures supplied by ANMF.

The former Liberal government then opposed extending the deal to hospital security guards employed by private operators.

In 2019 then treasurer Rob Lucas said such a deal would mean a 17 per cent pay rise for the guards and cost the state budget $23m over five years.

“This is absolutely crazy stuff which would only make sense to the Labor Party and union bosses,” he said at the time.

Then opposition industrial relations spokesman Kyam Maher — now Industrial Relations Minister — responded by saying hospital security officers were “some of the hardest working, lowest paid workers in SA.”

The deal was resurrected under the present Labor government but the guards are yet to get their back pay.

They have told The Advertiser there have been “lots of words” at a time The Advertiser revealed Code Black calls for help from SA Health staff facing violent and aggressive patients and families has rocketed to an average 40 calls a day.

“We are in a really challenging job — on some shifts we see more weapons than a SAPOL officer would,” one told The Advertiser.

“We have been hearing promises for months now.”

SA Health Executive Director, Procurement, Supply Chain and Finance, Andrea Andrews, said: “The Department for Health and Wellbeing has been working with MSS who are currently finalising the complex calculations for the back pay.

“Once MSS has completed their calculations across three different financial years, the data will be reviewed by our contract management team.

“We are committed to working through this process as soon as possible.”

It is understood MSS began increasing wages to reach pay parity across SA Health sites in July 2024.

MSS Security said they are unable to make a comment regarding this matter.