Hospital pharmacists stop-work at PCH, SCGH, KEMH and threaten to escalate industrial action

Hospital pharmacists have voted to refuse to charge patients for prescription medication, as their pay dispute with the State Government steps up, with work bans will start in two weeks. On Wednesday morning, about 50 workers stopped work at Perth Children’s Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital. The Health Services Union has rejected the Government’s second pay offer of 12 per cent over three years. The union wants 12 per cent over two years, but says the lack of career pathways is also a major sticking point. “The government says a lot about quality care, but without giving you the actual support to be able to do that, it is hot air,” union secretary Naomi McRae said. ACTU secretary Sally McManus urged the small crowd that “if you stick together, you win”. Ms McManus said she was flying back to Melbourne this afternoon after a series of meetings in Perth that did not include CFMEU WA secretary Mick Buchan. The WA branch of the CFMEU has been placed under administration, but Mick Buchan has kept his job. Ms McManus said WA’s branch has not been tarnished by alleged criminal links and should not be distracted by the scandal that has enveloped the East Coast union movement. “It’s an important issue for our movement to confront and to deal with,” she said. “But every other worker is just getting on with what they’ve got to get on with.” She urged the Cook Government to pay more heed to union demands and offer public service wages that can compete with those in the WA mining industry. “The Government here in WA can’t use excuses of not having the money,” she said. The Premier said negotiations are ongoing. “We want our public sector workers to get a good outcome,” he said. Junior doctors accepted a new pay deal yesterday that included an 11.5 per cent pay rise over three years and a 14-hour cap on overtime.