Hospitel workers’ talks break down

Press, 18 December 1986, Page 8

Hospitel workers’ talks break down

Talks on the private hospital domestic workers’ award broke down for the second time in Christchurch yesterday when the union refused to accept a 6.5 per cent wage increase offer.

The union’s advocate, Mr Peter Cullen, said the talks lasted only seven minutes. The employers were not prepared to listen to any of the union’s arguments. Union assessors have maintained their claim for parity with public hospital domestic workers which, they say, would require an 11.4 per cent increase.

The employers’ advocate, Mr Don Smith, said the employers had significantly increased their original offer but their position had been hardened by “illegal strike action” taken by workers.

"The attitude of the union in taking such action in complete disregard for the welfare of the patients being cared for in private hospitals has left a bitter taste for all those affected,” Mr Smith said. The secretary of the Canterbury branch of the

Hotel and Hospital Workers’ Union, Mr Martin Moodie, said in reply that Canterbury workers had voted not to take industrial action out of concern for patients.

Mr Smith later acknowledged that Canterbury workers had not taken industrial action, but said his comments still applied to workers elsewhere who had struck. Mr Moodie said Canterbury workers had been poorly rewaded for their good-will gesture. “They have been rewarded with a display of Christmas miserliness which would have put Scrooge to shame,” Mr Moodie said. Workers will meet tomorrow to discuss what action should be taken in response to the collapse of the talks. The current award would not expire until the end of January, and so the workers need not rush into things before Christmas, he said. Mr Moodie also said that the employers had reneged on a promise contained in a memorandum dating back to last

year’s award talks. The employers had promised to establish parity between public and private hospital domestic workers. For this reason, the union had agreed to a lengthened award period to allow the public hospital award to be dealt with first, he said. Domestic workers in public hospitals had received wage increases of between 6.85 and 7.7 per cent. If the union had accepted the 6.5 per cent offer in the private hospital talks, they would not only not get parity but would fall further behind. Mr Moodie acknowledged that there had been a compressed wage round this year, but added, “We are simply asking them to honour a promise.” Mr Smith rejected this assertion, saying that the obligation for parity had been met, given the differences between private and public hospitals.

He said that the Private Hospital Nurses’ Award had been settled amicably with a 6 per cent wage increase.