Hospital workers welcome WINZ as lockout begins to bite

Eight hundred locked out hospital workers have welcomed the support of Work and Income NZ as the lockout by Spotless Services begins to bite.

Four days into the lockout and with many pay packets expected to be half their normal size the Service and Food Workers Union says WINZ and its staff have done a magnificent job of reaching out to the locked out cleaners, kitchen staff and orderlies.

Locked out workers with limited assess are entitled to financial support and the Service and Food Workers Union says many of it's members live from one pay packet to the next.

SFWU spokesperson Alastair Duncan says Spotless's action of locking out hundreds of low paid workers is a brutal and callous act intended to bully and intimidate.

"By contrast, the pro-active and early support from WINZ is a reminder of the very best values of the public service."

Alastair Duncan says the experience with WINZ contrast with that of some DHB's who appear to have taken sides in the dispute.

"A number of District Health Board managers appear to have become confused over their responsibilities. They have tried to prevent our members, who are themselves taxpayers and members of the public from accessing the DHB premises. By doing so those DHB's have clearly taken sides."

The Council of Trade Unions has asked to meet with the DHB's to explore the workers concerns.

ENDS

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