Early last week, HIS members offered to suspend industrial action should HIS return to thebargaining table and release members from their lockouts. HIS declined this offer and consequently, industrial action stepped up last week.
VHPA members at Knox Private Hospital & The Avenue Hospital stopped work at 12 noon Friday to join their colleagues at The Northern Hospital who walked out at 1pm. The stop work continued to midnight Friday and work-bans are ongoing this week.
VHPA Secretary, Craig McGregor said, “This lock out is unprecedented in healthcare, particularly given Members have already made concessions to their original Log of Claims. HIS Management purports to want to resolve this but – if they won’t return to the bargaining table – how is this going to happen?”
Whilst emergency cases are obviously being attended to, the ongoing industrial action will have significant impacts on all three hospitals. This will particularly be the case at The Northern Hospital, one of Victoria’s busiest.
“Health Professionals rarely take industrial action; when they do you know that they have been left little other option. This is certainly the case with HIS. The pay rise offered to date is insulting and refusing to return to bargaining is counterproductive. “ said McGregor. “Members know this has impacts not just for their own Enterprise Agreement but for all private radiology companies.”
“Our message to HIS is, return the locked out Members to work, come back to the bargaining table and let’s sort this out”
