Thousands of NSW health workers, including ambulance drivers, pathologists and hospital cleaners, will strike on Thursday to demand a five per cent “catch-up” wage rise.
A NSW Health spokesman said the department and state government remained “committed to reaching a resolution in the best interests of our patients and our healthcare workers” with the union and its members.
“Over the past two years, our members have got 0.3 of a per cent and a 2.4 per cent [annual wage increases]. So to put that in perspective, 0.3 per cent for a cleaner is $149 before tax [a year].“ “They’re just angry. Now they’ve gone from frustration to anger, and they’re starting to move on that,” he said.A spokesman said NSW Health was “deeply thankful for the outstanding commitment and tireless efforts of our healthcare workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic” and noted the additional spending the state government had made on health services.
The spokesman did not directly address the HSU’s five per cent wage claim. The office of NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard did not response to requests for comment. Cleaners, who typically earned between $50,000 and $60,000 a year, now had to assist in “keeping COVID out of hospitals” while wearing restrictive personal protective equipment.
”So the government’s getting that now, but the paramedics are not getting any recognition and certainly aren’t being remunerated for that extra skill.“
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