Nursing grievances: Nurses Te Sanakowidic and Jacquie Kriz at front and either side of Australian Nursing Federation’s Pip Carew and Lisa Fitzpatrick.
ERIN PEARSON
THE SAFETY of patients at Geelong Hospital will be at risk if security guards fail to secure pay rises, their union has warned.
Security union officials said the hospital’s six guards voted to back strike action on Tuesday.
The strike could begin “within days”, they said.
The guards are the latest workers to join a wave of industrial action to have swept Geelong since September.
United Voice State Secretary Jess Walsh blamed the guards’ employer, MSS Security for paying inadequate wages.
“Unfortunately it’s not just the ill who find themselves in hospitals,” Ms Walsh said.
“Hospitals are also a magnet for the dangerous and the deranged and we need experienced guards to ensure safety.
“If MSS continues to refuse to back fair pay then our hospitals may be left dangerously exposed.”
Ms Walsh said rival security contractors had agreed to an annual four per cent pay rise.
Barwon Health spokeswoman Kate Nelson said the hospital was unaware of security staff planning industrial action.
Patient safety would remain a hospital “priority” if the guards went on strike, she said.
“If Barwon Health did experience industrial action by guards we have an internal team that is trained to respond to all emergencies. It currently supports the guards as required.
“Patient safety is a priority and we will work with our staff and the security contracting firm, should it be required, to ensure this.”
Australian Nursing Federa-tion’s Lisa Fitzpatrick said more than 300 Geelong nurses attended a lunchtime rally at the hospital on Tuesday as part of their ongoing statewide pay action.
The nurses also opposed planned split shifts and replacements of some nursing staff with “health assistants”, Ms Fitzpatrick said.
“Lower nursing numbers are linked to poorer patient care with outcomes like higher infection rates, complications, deep vein thrombosis, sepsis and pressure ulcers.”
Avalon Airport cleaners went on strike in September over an ongoing pay dispute.
Last month the Independent revealed that Spotless cleaners at Corio Shopping Centre had also voted to take industrial action for extra pay and improved working conditions.
