United Voice News
Peel Health Campus CEO resigns after only four months in the job
In Question Time on Wednesday, May 5, Shadow Health Minister Roger Cook asked the Health Minister Kim Hames whether he was aware that the CEO of Peel Health Campus Bill Shields had resigned suddenly on Tuesday after only four months in the job.
Mr Shields’ resignation comes in the midst of an industrial dispute at the hospital where essential workers including enrolled nurses, patient care assistants, orderlies and cleaners at the hospital have not had a pay rise for 17 months.
Last week, these workers voted in favour of taking industrial action after their employers refused to continue wage negotiations.
Disarray
Dave Kelly, secretary of the LHMU said: “Bill Shields’ sudden decision to walk out of his well-paid job at Peel Health Campus means that the management of the hospital is now in total disarray.
“Such a big decision would not have been taken lightly and could also indicate that Mr Shields was in some way dissatisfied with the way the hospital is run. Well if that’s the case then he’s not the only one.
“Enrolled nurses and health support workers who have not had a pay rise for the last 17 months, are due to begin taking industrial action at Peel next week after a series of insulting pay offers from management who have refused to bargain in good faith.
“They are already way behind the pay rates of their colleagues doing equivalent jobs in government hospitals. And as living expenses soar in the state, their employers had the gall to offer them a paltry increase which would see them effectively lose money if they were to accept it.”
Peel’s final offer to its employees was just 1.7%, 1.7% and 1.7%. They said this was not negotiable. The rises also come nowhere near the state government’s modest CPI projections of 2.5%, 3% and 3% for the next three years.
The workers, who are the lowest paid hospital workers in the state, want increases of 4.5% in the first year and 4% in the second and third years.
Pivatisation fears
Mr Kelly added: “The problems at Peel also illustrate just how badly things can go wrong under a private operator where making a profit is the key focus. This does not bode well for those who end up working in WA’s new hospitals which the government want to privatise.
“Essential services in the Fiona Stanley hospital, Midland Health Campus, Albany Health Campus and the new childrens’ hospital in Perth will be privatised under government plans.
“If Fiona Stanley is privatised then we fear the problems will be on a far bigger scale than those experienced by Peel employees.”
