Victorian healthcare workers will stop supporting elective surgery procedures from Wednesday, in the latest escalation of a long-running dispute with the Victorian Government.
The new bans will also see workers close one in every four hospital beds, cease cleaning of non-clinical areas including offices, staff rooms and cafeterias, and suspend the training and onboarding of new staff. These actions are alongside existing bans on revenue-raising activity, which are already costing the taxpayer millions of dollars every week in lost hospital revenue.
Workers are pushing for a new wages deal that delivers a liveable pay rise, and urgent action to address unsustainable workloads and chronic staff shortages.
This week’s escalation was flagged in December, and is a direct result of the Victorian Premier’s failure to offer healthcare workers a genuine pay rise.
The HWU rejected a below-inflation pay offer in December and has repeatedly sought to meet with the Government to avoid escalation, but has received no acknowledgement or engagement from the Minister’s office.
Health Workers Union’s Lead Organiser, Jake McGuinness, said this is the last thing workers want to be doing — especially during the summer bushfire period.
“Healthcare workers want to be doing their job caring for Victorians,” he said.
“This industrial action is an unfortunate necessity because of the Victorian Government’s consistent and callous disregard for essential workers’ needs.”
“These bans are targeted and carefully designed to protect emergency and critical services, but they will cause widespread disruption.”
Mr McGuiness emphasised the bans don’t apply to emergency care, and that children and pregnant mothers are exempt from the surgery bans.
The HWU is actively working with health services, including those in bushfire-affected areas, to ensure critical care continues to be delivered, with exemptions being provided where necessary to protect patient and public safety.
“This dispute has gone on for far too long,” Mr McGuiness said.
“But workers cannot give up until a liveable deal is on the table.”
“Jacinta Allan holds all the cards. Only she has the power to settle this dispute.”
The protected action will run from 7am on Wednesday 14th January, and to continue until midnight on 1st February.