Health sector faces new threat

Press, 18 February 1989, Page 3

Health sector faces new threat

Another health-sector union is set to take industrial action over a breakdown in award talks. Negotiations on the Hospital Storepersons and Packers’ Award broke down on Thursday with the same employer counter-claims that have angered other unions. The union advocate, Mr James Ritchie of the Distribution Workers’ Federation, said that in spite of industrial action in the health sector the employers’ attitude remained unchanged.

“Health sector employers are still insisting that workers make concessions on overtime and give back working conditions before a wage offer t can be tabled,” he said. Storeworkers would meet and 14 days notice of industrial action would be given to hospital and area health boards, he said. Unions at the table offered to assist hospital and area health boards with effectiveness studies to investigate where saving could be made in the public health sector, he said.

"Storepersons, like othre health sector workers, know where public funds are being wasted and where significant saving can be made which is not at the expense of living standards and conditions.” Employers were not willing to take up the offer, said Mr Ritchie. “The unions believe that some industrial democracy in public hospitals would not only improve industrial relatioins but would also lead to more effectivly run institutions,” he said.