Today we’ve once again told the Deputy Secretary, Dale Webster, that the Department need to give you written confirmation that they will recognise your specialised skills and responsibilities with reclassification.

You play an integral part in keeping your coworkers, patients and the community safe – and you’ve told us that until the Department properly recognise these skills, you’ll be forced to take industrial action.

Your delegates across the state have been trying to get the Department to sit down and fix this issue, and the fact that they’ve been flat out ignored is extremely disappointing.

While the Department have made verbal comments to us about supporting an increase to your classification, we’ve made it clear that actions speak louder than words – and we need a real commitment in writing.

We still have hope that they’ll use their common sense and do the right thing, but we need to plan for action in case they don’t.

Over the next few days your delegates and HACSU organisers will be dropping by to talk to you more and make a plan, so please keep an eye out for further details about this.

From 12pm on Tuesday 1 August these are the following bans we’ve put in place:  

• NWRH – A ban on the transfer of patients to and from the North West Private Hospital, a ban on afterhours plasters, and a ban on running pathology related items.

• LGH – A ban on responding to calls from the front desk and a ban on the transfer of patients to and from the Northern Integrated Care Centre.

• RHH – A ban on transfer of patients to and from the Hobart Private Hospital (HPH) and a ban on the collection and disposal of placentas from the HPH.

We’ll keep you up to date if anything changes, but at the moment we’re hoping for the best and planning for the worst.

If you need more information in the meantime, please contact us on HACSUassist.