NSW paramedics and hospital staff in HSU-organised strike on Thursday

Hospitals and ambulance services will be disrupted on Thursday as healthcare workers strike again to demand a pay rise.

Hospitals will be thrown into chaos on Thursday as healthcare workers vow to walk off the job until they get a pay rise — the latest offensive in the union’s battle with the state government.

Paramedics, cleaners, security guards and allied health workers will stop work for between one to four hours on Thursday morning across all major metropolitan and regional hospitals with the Health Services Union warning patients to expect delays and havoc.

Patient transport officers will also join strike meaning patients will not be transported out of hospitals while paramedics will only respond to emergency call outs.

HSU Secretary Gerard Hayes said the government has forced the union’s hands and now patients will pay the price.

HSU Secretary Gerard Hayes said the union will “exploit” the competition between the Labor and Liberal party in the lead-up to the election to get what they want. Picture: Gaye Gerard

“Who won’t get an ambulance? People who are routine transports, discharges from hospital, people who call the ambulance because they have got a cut finger,” he said.

“There will be great delays in hospitals … (Patient transport offices) won’t be moving people around. In terms of administrative people, we won’t be processing finances in hospitals.

“Security people will make sure there’s no bad behaviour but they won’t be out there promoting (and) actively moving through the hospital. Whether it’s wardspeople, whether it’s the cleaners, everything is going to contract.”

Staff in metropolitan hospitals will not work between 10am and 2pm and in major regional hospitals they will not work from 10am to midday.

More than 600 people will meet at the Unions NSW headquarters on Thursday while smaller meetings will be held across hospitals in metropolitan and regional areas.

Paramedics will also stop work to meet between 7am and 8am to vote on further industrial action.

Mr Hayes said he was not deterred that the meeting at the Unions NSW head office could promote the narrative that the unions were colluding to wreak havoc on the public service.

HSU delegates Dolly Borg and Tess Oxley say they are fed up of their current working conditions. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“The dynamics of politics in NSW has changed and we are going to exploit that. We’ll exploit it for our members so they can finally be treated reasonably and fairly,” he said.
“There is an election in just over 11 months and we’re going to prosecute every opportunity we can to make sure we get the outcomes, whether that’s from a Liberal government or Labor government.”

It is the latest in a series of strike and industrial actions planned by nurses, teachers and train employees and other workers in 2022.

Health staff most recently carried out industrial action and marched on Parliament House in Sydney demanded changes to pay and work conditions last week, and before that in February.

Paramedic and HSU delegate Tess Oxley said the government’s repeated “thank you” to health workers during the pandemic meant nothing without a pay rise.

“It doesn't mean much to me when I have to check my bank account before I fill up my car on the way home and buy a service station sandwich because I have not had a break,” she said.

The union is calling for a payrise of more than 2.5 per cent — the current maximum under the wages cap.

What will happen on Thursday:

• A stop work meeting for 4 hour from 10am – 2pm at all major metro hospitals;

• A stop work meeting for 2 hours from 10am-midday at major regional hospitals including John Hunter, Wollongong, Gosford, Coffs Harbour, Murrumbidgee, Bathurst, Tweed and Tamworth;

• Stop work meetings at all remaining regional hospitals; and

• Paramedics to stop work meeting from 7am to 8am (emergency response unaffected) to vote on further industrial action.