BY JACQUELYN RICHARDS
Paramedics and patient transport officers across Newcastle and the Hunter are joining the strike against government inaction on wages today.
Workers are demanding action from the government on their promise to scrap the public sector wage cap which limits pay rises at 3%.
As part of the industrial action, workers will not be taking patients home from hospitals once they've been discharged.
Patients will still be able to get into hospitals, but the system will be delayed as patient transport workers refuse to transfer patients seeking transport from hospitals to residential and age care facilities.
It's estimated thousands of patients across the Hunter and the state will be inconvenienced.
The state government has been slow moving on their promise for better pay, and Health Services Union Secretary Gerard Hayes is doubtful they'll meet their timeline to effect change by June 1st.
"We've got 43 days until the 1st of July when a wage deal should be in place and clearly that's not going to happen," said Mr. Hayes.
Mr. Hayes also noted the government's lack of care towards health care workers amidst the current cost of living crisis, saying it's forcing local paramedics to move out of state for work.
If not resolved, he warns the healthcare system in New South Wales will crumble.
"We're seeing paramedics now starting to move on mass to Queensland, to Victoria, so shortly we'll be struggling to have a paramedic service at all," he said.
Mr. Hayes has made clear the demands the union has for healthcare workers, and says they'd like to see change actioned as quickly as possible.
"We'd like to see a 6.5% pay rise as of the 1st of July, we'd like the government to be able to sit down with us and be able to undertake award reform of a range of awards," he said.
"We'd like to stop the government stealing money out of workers pockets with respect to their salary packaging that health workers currently have; the government takes 50% of that salary packaging and we'd like to see a royal commission as soon as possible."
Health Services Union members insist they don't want industrial action to harm patients, but want to ensure the government clearly understands the effect their inaction has had on workers amidst inflation and the cost of living crisis.
"Paramedics and patient transfer officers have taken action today to ensure that the government is clearly understanding the level of anxiety that people are suffering on the back of 7% inflation and wages not moving," Mr. Hayes said.
This is the first major industrial action which has taken place since the new state government won the election.
