Hospital service workers issue four thousand strike notices

In what is the largest number of strike notices ever issued, the Service and Food Workers Union has announced 4160 separate strike actions on behalf of two thousand eight hundred cleaning, catering and orderlies employed public hospitals.

The notices cover multiple actions starting 31 May in every hospital (except Nelson.*) Further notices are expected to be issued in the coming days.

SFWU spokesperson Alastair Duncan says the notices follow a year of frustration in which the District Health Boards and four contracting companies have done all they can to deny the workforce a national collective and pay parity. Union members voted by a 96% margin for the action in secret ballots.

"Our claims for pay parity have been dismissed and our claim for a single national collective for all staff has been fought at every step."

The SFWU says its members are the lowest paid staff in public hospitals.

"Many have received raises only because of increases in the minimum wages while rates of just $13 an hour are all too common. We want healthy pay in healthy hospitals not poverty pay.

"The DHB's and the four contractors who dominate the sector will not even agree to the principle of a single national agreement. The DHB's are also proposing regional pay rates that would mean workers in smaller hospitals would be on lower wages than their counterparts in large hospitals doing the same job.

Alastair Duncan says members are angered by statement from the employers that SFWU members are "unskilled".

"Our members keep the hospital clean and safe; they feed and transport patients and time critical materials and information. The cleaners, kitchen and security orderlies in our hospitals are like glue that holds a book together. No-one pays any attention to them until they are not there and then things can fall apart.

Alastair Duncan says the strike is intended to put the maximum pressure on the employers but minimal pressure on patients.

"By issuing multiple notices we aim to stretch the employer rather than impact on the patients. Rather than spend thousands of dollars on replacement labour we hope the employers finally understand the money is better spent on settling the dispute."

KEY FACTS for media information

* Bargaining for the new collective began in July of 2006

* The action covers 2800 workers in every DHB except Nelson.*

* One third of the affected workers are directly employed by DHB's.

* Two thirds of the affected workers are employed by the four contractors, Spotless Services Ltd with 1300 workers is the largest plus OCS Ltd, ISS Ltd and Compass

* The strike notices are sequential actions of 55 minutes starting on the hour every hour from 6.00 am Thursday 31 May.

* The notices are specific to each hospital and each occupational group.

* The Union is seeking pay parity with Health Care Assistants and a wage scale that starts at $14.33 and goes to $16.54

* The current average hourly rate for SFWU members is $13.37 for directly employed staff. Less for contracted workers.

* The DHB's have offered pay scales that start at $11.25 and go to $14.25.

* The DHB wage offer is for a four year period with a top guaranteed base rate of $13.55 running through to July 2010 (rates of up to $14.85 are available at the employers total discretion but only in some hospitals)

* The DHB's want to cap the rates paid in "secondary and tertiary" (i.e staff in smaller hospitals get lower pay)

* The parties remain apart on a range of conditions e.g. overtime, penal and holiday rates.

* Mediation talks are scheduled for Thursday and Friday of this week.

Why the multiple notices and how they work: Each strike notice is a separate notice affected a single group of employees defined by a) employer, b) occupational group c) time of strike ( 6.00 am to 6.55 am, 7.00 am to 7.55 am etc) and d) location. Each notice covers a period of 55 minutes beginning on the hour, every hour. Workers will be available for work between strikes e.g. 6.55 am to 7.00 am.

E.g. Cleaners who work at Hospital A on the morning shift are affected by notice X, Xi, Xii, etc. . . . Cleaners on the PM shift by notice Yi, Yii, etc and cleaners at Hospital B by notice Zi, Zii, etc

ENDS

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