United Voice

The public are invited to attend the rally which will see workers, politicians and members of the community call for the Barnett government to abandon its plans to privatise the Fiona Stanley hospital, Midland Health Campus, and the new childrens’ hospital.
Hospital support workers in country hospitals will also be on strike for between one and three hours on Thursday, December 2. They will spend that time leafleting their communities about the government’s privatisation plans. Those who work in or close to the constituencies of National MPs who voted down the Bill, will meet outside their offices for their own rallies. The National MPs who voted down the Bill were Grant Woodhams, Brendon Grylls, Terry Redman and Terry Waldron.
The government is currently rushing to finalise a contract for Serco to run 31 essential services at Fiona Stanley Hospital before the end of the year.
This is despite signing an agreement with hospital support workers just weeks ago which features a no privatisation clause.
The LHMU has launched legal proceedings at the Industrial Magistrates Court because it has received legal advice that the government’s decision to privatise services at the hospital is illegal in the light of this contract. The hearing is due to begin on Wednesday, December 1.
Carolyn Smith, assistant secretary of the LHMU said: “Serco have no previous experience of running hospital services in Australia and yet the Barnett government wants to put it in charge of vital departments like cleaning, sterilization and medical equipment at Fiona Stanley.
“Serco’s only experience in Australia is with struggling prisons and controversial detention centres, which have been criticized by Colin Barnett himself. Why on earth is he entrusting such a company with what will be the state’s flagship hospital?
“Mr Barnett is also ignoring public opinion on this issue. Our polling in marginally-held Liberal seats showed that privatisation is deeply unpopular. More than three-quarters of the people surveyed opposed Serco having the contract there.
“That’s hardly surprising when you consider what privatisation has done to hospitals in the past. Even the health minister himself admitted that privatisation of cleaning services at Royal Perth Hospital by the Liberal Court government in the 1990s contributed to the VRE superbug outbreak in 2001. More than 170 people were infected and it cost $2.1million to clean up. And yet, there he is rushing like a headless chicken into this contract with Serco.
“We have been consistently ignored on this issue by the blinkered Barnett government. But it will be very hard for the Premier and his Cabinet to ignore a rally against privatisation right under their noses.”
On the day of the rally, hospital support workers will be stopping work at 11.30am. They will then be travelling to St George’s Terrace for the rally They will return to work at 3pm. HSU members are also set to attend.
Dan Hill, secretary of the HSU said: “This government doesn’t have the best interests of the public at heart, only the profit margins of multi-national companies like Serco. Privatisation cannot save taxpayers money without resulting in cuts to services. Every dollar of profit companies like Serco take out of our public health system is a dollar not spent on caring for people in our hospitals.
“The members of our unions know that privatisation will impact job security, pay rates and the quality of patient care if privatisation is allowed to happen in any hospital.
“Members of the public are also getting wise to the Barnett government’s plans and our rally will show that they don’t like it one little bit. Mr Barnett should be very worried about his position as premier if he continues his flagrant disregard for public opinion.”