For lack of a decent pay rise since 2011, Dubbo Hospital's staff walked out of their jobs for two hours during various shifts on Thursday, joining thousands of health services workers across Australia to press for 5 per cent more in their pay packets.
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They were security staff, wardsmen, clerk, cleaners, allied health workers, catering assistant, occupational therapists, care support workers, pharmacists, and x-ray room staff among others.
Most staff stayed on to ensure patients were looked after while the nurses, midwives, ambulance staff and paramedics were on duty because "we're not going to leave patients in the lurch".
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Braving the rain, wardsman and security worker Luke Sullivan said the lowest salary they had on record was $25 per hour and they were asking another 5.5 per cent to bring up their base pay close to $27 per hour, as cost of living is taking a chunk of their weekly wages.
The estimate increase is $1.37 for most of the health services staff, the lowest is $25 per hour for cleaners like Therese Danbridge and catering assistant Wendy McCoy who joined the strike.
"They gave us 0.3 per cent pandemic rise and I don't even see it [making a difference]," Ms Dandridge said
"We haven't had a decent pay rise in eight or nine years in the 20 years I have worked here at Dubbo. I started with a salary just under $20 and now that extra three to four per cent will bring salary to $27.50 per hour," Mr Sullivan said.
Wayne Milmlow is employed as mental health support staff member at $28 per hour but while on a trade job prior to an injury, he was earning $30 per hour. "It's gone backward while cost of living is just too high for me and my wife," he said.
A spokesman for the Health Services Union told the Daily Liberal pay cap for the staff was 2.5 per cent effective since 2011 which they were trying to rectify for it means "the maximum pay rise they can get is 2.5 per cent [and] during the pandemic it was a low 0.3 per cent".
"For the last year, inflation has been 3.5 per cent so in real terms, workers are facing pay cuts," he said.
Low pay might force 21 per cent of disability support workers to leave the service in the next 12 months, according to the HSU survey of 2,500 staff.
Another 31 per cent are walking away due to "negative workplace culture" according to the HSU citing a parliamentary report.
Elizabeth Frias
I began my news reporting days in western and inner west Sydney before joining the Daily Liberal's Dubbo NSW newsroom. Telling all sorts of stories about people, places and events is my daily preoccupation so email me at elizabeth.frias@austcommunitymedia.com.au and I'll be in touch!
I began my news reporting days in western and inner west Sydney before joining the Daily Liberal's Dubbo NSW newsroom. Telling all sorts of stories about people, places and events is my daily preoccupation so email me at elizabeth.frias@austcommunitymedia.com.au and I'll be in touch!
