Westmead Hospital workers strike for increased on-site safety
Hospital workers will walk off the job at Westmead Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead today as they call for increased security at public hospitals across NSW.
Parramatta
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Hospital workers walked off the job at Westmead Hospital, Cumberland Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead today as they called for increased security at public hospitals across NSW.
A Health Services Union (HSU) NSW spokesman told the Advertiser that a strike took place outside Westmead Hospital at noon, involving more than 60 workers from all three hospitals.
A strike also took place at Ryde Hospital at 1pm — while other strikes have been staged at public hospitals across the state today.
He said the strikes were all about increasing safety for staff, patients and visitors.
“We just haven’t seen any action from the Government with this issue,” he said.
“Assaults on staff have only been on the increase.
“It’s all about getting safer hospitals for hospital staff and visitors and patients.”
He said there had been a lot of meetings but no significant action taken to increase security at public hospitals and the HSU wanted an additional 250 security staff employed in hospitals across the Sydney metropolitan area.
HSU reported more than 22,000 workers were taking part in the strikes at public hospitals across the state, while NSW Health disputed that number stating it was a maximum of “a few hundred”.
The HSU spokesman said the union represents a large number of workers in public hospitals — including security staff, administration workers, cleaners, and a wide range of health professionals — but does not include doctors and nurses.
A Northern Sydney Local Health District spokesman said the strike at Ryde Hospital did not effect the operation of the hospital.
Meanwhile, HSU NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said patients would not be at risk during the strike action.
“In the last three years, hospital workers have been stabbed, shot, punched, bitten and abused. Hospital workers are sick of being treated as punching bags,” he said.
“There are now more than 40 assaults in NSW hospitals each month. We are living through a hospital security crisis.
“Yet the Ministry of Health refuses to take anything more than baby steps.
“Our strike is an unfortunate but necessary last resort. We have argued, lobbied and advocated for change for years, but our pleas continue to fall on deaf ears.
“We are taking every precaution possible to prevent any impact on public health.
“Fundamentally, this strike is about improving public safety and restoring confidence in the security of our hospitals.”
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