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‘Forgotten force’ By Cam Lucadou-Wells and Afraa Kori Monash Health workers were among an estimated 4000 allied health professionals at a public rally for better pay and conditions in Melbourne’s CBD on Tuesday 16 June. Medical scientists, hospital pharmacists, psychologists, dietitians, radiographers and occupational therapists from across two unions went out on strike, seeking at least a 28 per cent wage rise over four years. According to the HSU Victoria No.3 and No.4 union branches, it was the first time that the state’s allied health workforce had taken 24-hour strike action. Hundreds of staff from the Monash Health network, including hospitals in Casey and Dandenong, reportedly joined the rally. On display, were an array of witty placards and slogans such as “no more band aids: fix allied health” and “worked to the bone”. It follows a smaller rally of about 1000 members marching in a stop-work protest rally on 1 April. Casey pharmacist delegate Chris Sharp said the second protest was necessary because the workforce had “completely lost trust” in the government’s willingness to treat them “fairly or take them seriously”. “After the April 1 action, we were strung along with ‘any day now’ promises every week for nine weeks,” he said. He said workers were frustrated that a deal remained “six months overdue”, and disappointed that a post-April 1 offer had failed to meet expectations. He said it ignored professional development costs, excluded proper reproductive health leave, and attempted to strip back long-standing weekend penalty arrangements. “There is also hurt at being undervalued, balanced by optimism and determination as I watch this dispute bring my colleagues closer together,” Mr Sharp said. “I expect my Government to treat us better than the worst cliche of a used-car salesperson.” Most hospital pharmacists are women, and his members have been negotiating from an inappropriately low base rate since 2018 “simply because of their gender”, he said. “The ‘for women’ Allan Government needs to actually act on its stated values.” An HSU Victoria No.3 branch member from the South East said “hospitals are being plastered with posters and writings on walls to bring atten-
VAHPA members on State Parliament’s steps. ‘No band aid fixes’ was among the catch-cries by marchers in the CBD. tion to our cause”. She said the 24-hour stop work was designed to disrupt non-urgent patient services, such as imaging, physio, occupational therapy and social work. “We are in a tricky situation as health professionals. “We are bound to cause minimal disruption to patients and there are plenty of exempt groups we have to keep seeing.” Up until that point, work bans had included not scheduling patients, wearing union protest
merchandise, and billing disruptions to “spread the word for our campaign”. The workers were part of either Health Services Union Victoria No.3 branch – otherwise known as Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association (VAHPA) – and the HSU Victoria No.4 branch comprising Medical Scientists Association of Victoria, Victorian Psychologists Association and Association of Hospital Pharmacists. VAHPA Executive Officer Andrew Hewat said allied health professionals were the “engine room of our public hospitals”.
“They test, treat, scan, diagnose, rehabilitate, and discharge patients. Yet, we remain the largely forgotten workforce. The Allan Government has offered nothing to address critical workforce shortages, dangerous workloads, or the years of gender undervaluation identified by the Fair Work Commission.” Monash Health did not respond to Star News’s enquiry. A Victorian government spokesperson reportedly told other media outlets that negotiations between the parties were continuing in good faith.
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Allied health professionals from two unions - in blue and orange - combined for a 4000-strong protest on 16 June. (Supplied)