DOZENS of medical scientists, pharmacists and psychologists last Tuesday walked off the job at the Western and Sunshine hospitals, demanding better pay and working conditions.
The staff, who specialise in diagnosing and treating cancer patients, took industrial action after a breakdown in enterprise bargaining talks with the state government.
Dressed in bright pink T-shirts, with slogans including “End the Cancer Crisis” and “Honour the offer”, they rallied for more than two hours.
Medical Scientists Association of Victoria (MSAV) secretary Rosemary Kelly said staff doing the same job in other states were being paid 66 per cent more each year. “Medical physicists are highly trained professionals with eight to 10 years’ post-secondary education,” she said.
“Yet the Baillieu government will not address that Victorian staff are paid substantially less and that there is a great shortage of staff.”
Ms Kelly said the MSAV was lobbying for the government to allocate $2 million out of the Victoria health budget of $14 billion.
Staff will continue with rolling stoppages across the state until the matter is addressed.
