United Voice

The work bans will include:
•    No moving linen
•    No moving rubbish
•    No picking up meal trays
•    No sterilising equipment for PRIVATE hospitals
United Voice members in hospitals are committed to the highest levels of patient care and safety. 
These work bans are designed to create strain on management, not compromise patient care.
Hospital Support Workers are outraged that the Premier and Health Minister Kim Hames last week trivialized essential hospital services like cleaning, sterilisation, catering and patient records – all services which will be privatised at Fiona Stanley – by describing them as merely “backroom services”.
They are also angry that the Barnett government has shown a flagrant disregard for their pay and conditions deal which was signed in October.  The agreement included a commitment not to privatise.
Dave Kelly, Secretary of United Voice WA, said: “Our members just cannot understand why Colin Barnett has arrogantly ignored public opinion and continued on with negotiations for a huge contract with Serco. This faceless multinational has no experience of running hospitals in Australia.
“The Premier refuses to release the business case despite repeated requests in Parliament and through FOI.  He did not take this major policy to the people at the last state election
“Serco will be running the show in what was meant to be the state’s flagship hospital. The government should be proud to be in charge of such a facility and yet they are passing over this huge responsibility to a firm from overseas who will be going all out to make a profit.
“And Serco isn’t any old business either. They run Australia’s struggling immigration detention centres. Colin Barnett has publicly slammed the running of the detention centres, but seems quite happy to let the same people run essential services like sterilisation, cleaning and medical record keeping in what will be the largest hospital in the state. It beggars belief.”
Mr Kelly added that workers and members of the community who supported the In Public Hands campaign would continue to fight the Barnett government’s privatisation plans in hospitals.
“We will also hold them accountable on the contract they sign with Serco.  In a transparent attempt to get their privatisation agenda out of the newspapers, Mr Barnett has rushed negotiations and there are bound to be mistakes. This is not good news for the Fiona Stanley Hospital or the community it will serve.”
“WA is a wealthy state and can quality, publicly run hospitals.”