Hospital workers fight poverty wages

08 03 06

Hospital workers fight poverty wages

Public hospital cleaners, food service workers, orderlies and home support workers launch their campaign to get poverty wages out of our public hospitals on Wednesday 8th March, International Women’s Day.

The Healthy Pay for Healthy Hospitals campaign seeks a living wage and one national agreement for all public hospital service workers, most of whom are women.

“Minimum wage in a state sector organisation like public hospitals is just not good enough. Currently service workers in public hospitals are being paid on rates as low as $9.75 per hour,” said Service and Food Workers Union National Secretary, John Ryall.

“These workers will only get an increase when the government puts up the statutory minimum wage to $10.25 on 27th March”

“Fifteen years of contracting out services and bargaining having been broken down into over forty collective agreements has left these workers behind.”

“Service workers keep our hospitals healthy and want their essential role to be recognised and valued”.

“We believe a multi-employer collective agreement is the only way to ensure District Health Boards and contractors are consistent and fair to these workers” said John Ryall.

Campaign launches and activities are happening nationwide in every DHB on International Women’s Day, including rallies in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

ENDS

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