United Voice News
A group of angry health care professionals and their union protested a possibly illegal ballot Friday of last week outside the Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Court Building.
About 35 workers, former workers and union representatives from the LHMU turned up to support workers from Queensland Diagnostic Imaging (QDI).
The company recorded an 83 percent increase in profitability and awarded a $7 million pay increase for its nine directors last year, but is pushing its workforce into some of the lowest paid jobs in the medical imaging sector.
Primary Health Care, owner of Queensland Diagnostic Imaging (QDI), recorded a profit before one-off items of $37.4 million in the six months to December 2008.
Despite this increase in profits, QDI radiographers and sonographers continue to fight to get paid the same as their counterparts in rival companies and the public sector.
LHMU Assistant Secretary Michael De Brenni said QDI employees had been forced to vote on a non-union agreement, which was the catalyst for the protest.
“We have serious doubts over the validity and legality of the ballot and therefore the agreement,” Mr De Brenni said.
“Many workers were told to name their ballot papers and we have reason to believe that a substantial number of ‘no’ votes were discounted or declared invalid.
“What we have here is another example of profitability and share market results taking precedence over the health and wellbeing of patients and employees.
“So, this morning we took to the streets to protest it.
“We had a life-size donkey there, representing the donkey vote QDI has subjected its workers to.
“We hope now that QDI will listen to our concerns and agree to hold a new ballot.”
