It is the first time the HSUWA campaign has brought the whole pharmacy body together for mass industrial action. Photo: HSUWA.
Hospital pharmacists across Western Australia (WA) are continuing their rolling action following their “unanimous” rejection of the State Government’s second enterprise agreement offer.
After securing wage agreements from doctors and hospital support workers, Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson is facing calls by the Health Services Union WA (HSUWA) for a “serious and fair” third offer.
Last week, pharmacy members of the union held one-hour stop-work meetings at public hospitals across the state. Together they’re asking for WA Health to reform career pathways and pay so they can attract and retain their public health workforce.
HSUWA Secretary Naomi McCrae said public hospitals would cease to function without the highly specialised services of hospital pharmacists.
“In recent years, pharmacists have continued to take on greater responsibility to improve outcomes for patients and drive efficiencies across the health system, and as a result have seen the required skills and clinical expertise associated with their roles broaden significantly,” she said.
“However, our HSUWA pharmacy members are at the same time expected to continue working under the same flat career pathways that have not been revised in over two decades and which do not reflect these contemporary models of care.
“The State Government must listen to HSUWA hospital pharmacist members and invest now to meaningfully support the pharmacy workforce that plays an invaluable role in patient care.”
Over 750 hospital pharmacists in WA provide clinical services, manufacturing, and dispensing of medications that’s worth a total $350 million annually.
In letters to Minister Sanderson, they detailed high resignation rates, a lack of scope for career progression, inflexible pay structures, and a lack of acknowledgment of increasing professional and living costs driving professionals out of the public health system.
The union members allege these issues have increased ambulance ramping, bed block and the lack of mental health practitioners in children’s services.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus joined HSUWA pharmacy members at QEII in Perth for the first stop-work meeting. Photo: HSUWA.
According to HSUWA, the rejected second offer kept existing workforce structures that have not been reformed in 20 years.
One of the only differences was a one-off reclassification for a proportion of senior staff in three or four years, which the union claims will not do enough to stop a continuing exodus of public health workers to the private sector.
The union also claims WA Health ignored the “overwhelming evidence” gathered in its own Independent Review of Career Pathways for Health Professionals.
Secretary McCrae said by choosing to omit meaningful career pathway reform in the second offer, “the WA Government is either unaware of the critical workforce retention issues impacting patient care or they just don’t care”.
“After the government’s two-year international recruitment campaign and recent delegations to India and New Zealand, HSUWA members are concerned it’s the latter.”
