The Guardian 13 February, 2008
Victorian medical scientists
warn of state-wide strike
The Medical Scientists’ Association may call a state-wide strike in hospitals later this week if progress is not made in wages negotiations. Tomorrow the union’s rolling 24-hour stoppages will hit the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Western Hospital Footscray, Sunshine Hospital, Williamstown Hospital, Melbourne Extended Care and North West Mental Health.
After members at the Royal Melbourne walk off the job at 9am they will set-up a picket line at the entrance to the hospital. The action is part of the long-running dispute between the state’s medical scientists and the state government over a new pay deal.
The Secretary of the Medical Scientists Association, Dr Rosemary Kelly, says despite hours of talks in the Industrial Relations Commission on Wednesday and Friday last week, the union was still to get a formal wages offer from the state government.
"Their negotiating position fails to give our members increases equivalent to nurses, and they expect our members to accept a later date for any increase to come into effect," she said.
So far the dispute has caused major disruption to outpatient services, elective surgery, and patient care in Victoria’s public hospitals, including the disruption of the introduction of world-first brain imaging equipment for cancer sufferers at the William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre at the Alfred Hospital.
"The government has dug its heels in and turned its back on patients in Victoria’s hospitals. It’s demonstrated that it cares little about hospital waiting lists or the standard of care provided to patients", Dr Kelly said.
Victorian scientists are only seeking the same wages deal offered to the nurses last year.
Medical scientists include pathology scientists, neuroscientists, respiratory scientists, sleep scientists, dieticians, psychologists, pharmacists, medical physicists, radiation safety scientists, audiologists and clinical perfusionists.