OCS Hospital workers to strike again tomorrow

OCS Hospital workers to strike again tomorrow

Cleaners and orderlies employed by OCS at hospitals in Auckland, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, and Christchurch will be taking strike action for the second day tomorrow [Friday 4 June].

The action follows almost a year of negotiations with trans-national contractor OCS, which have not yet resulted in an offer from the company.

The cleaners and orderlies are members of the Service and Food Workers Union Nga Ringa Tota, and Northern Regional Secretary Jill Ovens says the workers are being dragged into a commercial dispute between the contractor OCS and the DHBs concerned.

“We are being held to ransom because OCS is trying to get more money out of the DHBs to fund the 2% pay increase and associated costs like grading increases,” says Jill Ovens.

“OCS knew when it got the contract at Lakes and Hawkes Bay DHBs since 2008 what the potential costs would be of grading increases. Yet they are holding up the settlement over this dispute, which is unrelated to the 2% pay increase we are asking for”

Jill Ovens says OCS must have budgeted for a 2% pay increase because this has been the CPI for more than a year.

The cleaners and orderlies who work for OCS at Auckland, Greenlane, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Burwood and Christchurch Hospitals are asking for a 2% payrise backdated to 1 April 2010. This is the same as other hospital workers employed directly by the DHBs or other contractors have already been offered.

ENDS

Notes for editors
Workers employed by OCS at Auckland, Greenlane, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Burwood and Christchurch Hospitals are striking between 7am to 9am, 11am to 1pm. and 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm on Friday 4 June.

On 1 April 2010 nearly 1500 SFWU members received a 2% pay increase thanks to a breakthrough settlement involving the 3 biggest unions in the public health sector. The Nurses Organisation, Public Service Association and SFWU, which cover 43,000 District Health Board employees, have combined together to negotiate a common pay increase and processes for dealing with the proposed DHB restructuring.

Since then negotiations have continued with the contracting companies who employ an additional 1300 SFWU members. These have resulted in the same deal being offered by contractors Spotless and Compass. An offer from ISS is being considered by the members.
OCS (New Zealand) Limited is an operating division of the OCS Group that operates in more than 40 countries worldwide

Service and Food Workers Union Nga Ringa Tota
www.sfwu.org

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