Stop work action - 19 June 2024
HACSU radiographers, sonographers and nuclear medicine technologists walked off the job for 30 minutes on Wednesday 19 June to protest the government’s inaction on implementing a market allowance.
HACSU has repeatedly called on the Department to commit to implement an additional 20% allowance for all medical imaging staff in the state to address chronic retention and attraction issues, with some staff receiving more than $10 an hour less than they would be paid in the private sector interstate. This disparity in pay has meant that the RHH’s medical imaging department is currently operating at 30% vacancies.
These staffing shortfalls have had a significant effect on the community’s ability to access vital scans, with services to Theatre, Liverpool clinics and MRI often reduced. The Department of Health committed weeks ago to applying for the allowance but has been sitting on its hands ever since while the community suffers.
Medical imaging workers passed the following resolution last week during their stop work action:
We HACSU members of RHH Medical Imaging resolve that we will continue our industrial campaign for a market allowance to fix our 30% vacancy rate. We are disappointed that the government continues to delay acting while we grow more burned out and exhausted.
We will continue to work to rule by:
- Taking breaks on time and leaving work on time
- Not working unreasonable overtime
We will also continue to speak to patients about our understaffing issues and tell them about how medical imaging professionals in the private sector and interstate get paid far more than we do.
In addition, if the government does not immediately intervene to address our serious understaffing concerns, we will consider placing a ban on performing work in the new $8 million dollar angiography and CT suite. We cannot be expected to work even harder when we are already at a breaking point and the government refuses to invest in its workforce.
Union members in medical imaging do not take the decision to stop work lightly, but feel they had no other choice until the Health Minister Guy Barnett urgently intervenes to implement a 20% market allowance.
Watch our State Secretary Robbie Moore explain why HACSU radiographers, sonographers and nuclear medicine technologists walked off the job on Wednesday 19 June.