WORKERS AT THE NORTH WEST REGIONAL HOSPITAL ARE FIGHTING PLANS BY MANAGEMENT TO IMPOSE PARKING FEES AND FINES THAT WILL MEAN THEY HAVE TO PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS EACH YEAR IN ORDER TO COME TO WORK.
For the past few months HACSU has been negotiating on behalf of Members to keep the current arrangements in place in relation to car parking.
A staff petition circulated by HACSU Members has attracted hundreds of signatures, indicating the level of anger amongst the workforce. Workers requested that HACSU arrange for the petition to be presented to politicians, in the hope that they will intervene on their behalf.
Management at the NWRH seem resolute on ignoring the fact that workers are strongly opposed to car parking fees and fines, and are pushing ahead with a new scheme that effectively charges people to come to work.
“Imposing a car parking fee might not seem like a big issue to people who live in cities with great public transport. However for people living on the North West coast, the reality is that to get to work, you need to have a car”, said Robbie Moore, Assistant State Secretary.
“Most of our Members live away from bus routes, and have family commitments that require them to take a car to work.
“Hospital staff often work unusual hours, which requires them to use a car to drive to or from their shifts.”
“We are hopeful that all 5 Braddon members will be in attendance to respond to the concerns of their constituents.”
Hospital workers have already accepted below CPI wage increases as part of their Public Sector Union Wages Agreement, and now face the additional threat of a wage freeze.
“When you combine the increasing cost of living with the impact of state and federal budget cuts, it means that ordinary workers are getting poorer”, said Robbie Moore.
“The bottom line is that NWRH workers should not have to pay for the privilege of coming to work.”
HACSU ASSISTANT STATE SECRETARY ROBBIE MOORE. AUTHORISED BY STATE SECRETARY TIM JACOBSON
