Hospital workers across Adelaide to strike on Friday

Allied health workers across nine major Adelaide hospitals, including the RAH, are striking as they demand double the pay increase on offer.

Allied health workers across nine major Adelaide hospitals are striking on Friday, demanding better conditions and pay increases.

The Health Services Union of South Australia has penned a letter to the state government’s industrial relations and policy branch notifying them of the stop-work action.

More than 100 allied health workers – including social workers, physiotherapists, radiographers and occupational therapists – are taking part, urging the government to consider their claims for revised scheduling, safer staffing levels, and an extension of professional development and entitlements.

HSU members would like a 3 per cent pay increase, double what they were offered by the state government.

It said their enterprise bargaining agreement did not consider any of the claims put forward by the union.

Around 100 allied health workers from nine major hospitals across Adelaide including the WCH, Flinders and the RAH are walking off the job in their fight for pay rises and better working conditions. Picture: 7NEWS

“Health workers have carried the health of the South Australian community through the pandemic, turning up daily to provide services and putting ourselves and our families on the front line of COVID risk,” the letter said.

“However, the thanks we get from the Marshall Government is no wage increase for the past two years and a refusal to genuinely engage and bargain with respect to our claims for a fair pay increase, workable classification structures and the resources to do our work safety and take our rest breaks.”

The strikes are taking place at the RAH, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre, The Repat, Flinders Medical Centre, Noarlunga Hospital, Modbury Hospital and the Lyell McEwin Hospital, with allied health workers stopping work for an hour across the day.

The HSU said they chose to do rolling one-hour stop-work actions across the sites to “minimise the disruption of services to the SA community”.

At least one HSU member will remain at work during the strike, in case of emergency.

“We call on the Marshall Government to respect the work we do and urgently negotiate a fair outcome in response to our reasonable claims,” the letter said.

Treasurer Rob Lucas said the Public Service Association, the biggest union to represent allied health workers, supported the government’s proposed enterprise bargaining agreement.

He said 3 per cent salary increases was an “unreasonable demand”.

“The taxpayer of South Australia can’t afford salary increases of three per cent per year in the middle of a global pandemic,” Mr Lucas said.

The action comes as the ambulance union made a list of 20 demands to fix the service, as the second death blamed on delays is revealed in as many days.

The Ambulance Employees’ Association has revealed “unfathomable” details of a female aged-care resident, in her 80s, who experienced shortness of breath and nausea at a Grange nursing home.