Health professionals striking over pay across South Australia

Various health professionals are moving to strike over pay conditions across South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Health Services Union

Allied Health professionals aligned with the Health Services Union (HSU) are set to engage in a series of rallies and stop-work actions in hopes of engaging the South Australian government to commit to a standalone enterprise agreement (EA).

As it stands, these Allied Health professionals – which include physiotherapists, radiographers, social workers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, dietitians, psychologists and more – are covered under the South Australian Public Sector Salaried Agreement, which, according to the HSU, does not “adequately address” the specific needs of their roles.

Negotiations over this standalone EA have been going on for the past nine months, with the HSU claiming that this process “cannot drag on indefinitely”.

“We’ve been negotiating for over nine months – it’s time for the government to deliver a fair deal so Allied Health professionals can get on with their lives,” said HSU SA/NT branch secretary Billy Elrick.

“These rallies are about securing real recognition through a dedicated agreement that reflects the essential work we do.”

Elrick claimed that the set action is the largest coordinated effort Allied Health professionals have ever undertaken.

“This is the largest coordinated action Allied Health professionals have ever taken – we’re standing together for fair pay and respect,” Elrick said.

“The HSU has ensured that critical services will not be disrupted, with skeleton crews remaining on site where required.”

Professionals Australia members

Medical physicists and radiopharmaceutical scientists who are aligned with Professionals Australia also took industrial action yesterday (10 June), demanding similar results from the South Australian government.

According to Professional Australia’s director Paul Inglis, the South Australian medical professionals who specialise in cancer care remain among the lowest paid in the country.

“Since 2017, their wages have dropped 14.1 per cent in real terms compared to CPI, and SA salaries are considerably lower than in other states. So far, the government’s only offer has been a 3 per cent per year increase, which is well short of what’s needed to correct the wage gap,” said Inglis.

“Medical physicists and radiopharmaceutical scientists are paid up to 40 per cent less than their colleagues interstate, and despite months of good-faith bargaining, the government has not even responded to our specific claims.

“These clinicians have never taken this sort of industrial action before. The fact that they are now shows how desperate the situation has become.

“These are some of the most highly educated and specialised staff in our public hospitals, and we risk losing them to better-paid jobs interstate. That puts patient safety and cancer treatment capacity in South Australia at risk.”

Yesterday’s action involved a stop-work for 90 minutes at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, with the union claiming that critical care would be maintained.

“We’ll cooperate with SA Health to maintain critical staffing, but we won’t back down until a fair deal is on the table,” said Inglis.