17 May, 2007

Patient safety behind ISS response

Facilities Services company ISS New Zealand was left with no option but to issue lockout notices to health sector workers planning strike action because it was the only way to ensure patient and staff safety for its District Health Board clients.

Members of the Services and Food Workers Union (SFWU) issued 4,160 separate strike notices that its members planned to stop work for 55 minutes every hour for two days from May 31.

ISS New Zealand CEO Brian Young said the union’s actions had left cleaning companies with no choice.

“The union’s move was designed to be as disruptive as possible. We have an obligation to our clients – the District Health Boards (DHBs) – to provide a safe environment for their patients and staff. In the wake of the strike notice the only way we could do this was to respond with lockout notices so arrangements could be made to meet our obligations.”

ISS provides cleaning and orderly services to DHBs. It has issued lockout notices to 323 workers at Hutt Hospital, Health Waikato and Health Otago. The union is threatening four weeks of industrial action.

“The way union organisers have structured this proposed strike action meant it would be impossible for us to do our job – and that impacts on health and safety within hospitals. They have done so with seemingly little concern for the effect it could have for patients and health workers.”

Mr Young said hourly rates quoted by union officials in defence of their action were misleading because they did not include special allowances and penal rates.

“We’ll be delighted to withdraw this notice if we can reach a negotiated settlement with the union. We support collective bargaining with the union but need to negotiate separate collective agreements for each of our hospital contracts,” said Mr Young.

“A sector-wide collective agreement simply poses too high a business risk. We have addressed the union’s concerns about low pay in the public health sector by agreeing with the DHBs that if we do separate deals with the union, we will guarantee rates of pay for our staff that are comparable to those workers employed directly by DHBs.

ENDS

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