Christmas hospital slashing - PSA

Clerical workers at Health Waikato's in-patient services face an unhappy and uncertain Christmas knowing management plan to axe up to 30 of them in the New Year.

The timing - as well as being more stressful - means there is little opportunity to organise combined community opposition to these drastic cuts in hospital services.

The PSA says the jobs 'review' will be finalised and a recommendation given to hospital management just three days before Christmas - with the results to greet the hospital workers on their Year 2000 return!

'The PSA was advised of the review very late in the piece and only was able to meet management about it for the first time last week.

'Our members are very, very dubious about this process and it is as much about deciding "who" will go as well as what hospital services will be cut,' PSA organiser Dianne Donald said.

The 200 clerical staff - some who have been with the hospital more than 20 years - were shocked at the timing of the job cuts and angry at the lack of proper consultation, Donald said.

The hospital workers will take their first organised action against the cuts with a lunchtime rally on-site tomorrow

© Scoop Media