Sonographers in Canberra's public health system are taking industrial action today over the ACT Government's failure to deliver a better pay rise.
The CPSU, the union representing these public health workers, says the ACT Government has been sitting on a claim for a 15% pay raise for sonographers in Canberra and must urgently deliver the long-overdue increase.
These essential health workers, who provide sonography services at public hospitals including Canberra Hospital and North Canberra Hospital, are taking a 10-hour strike today and will continue to strike every week until the Government negotiates better pay and conditions. Workers will also take additional industrial action, including a ban on data entry and answering phones, because the Government is yet to agree to the pay claim tabled months ago.
There is currently a 30% vacancy rate for sonographers in the ACT public health system, with many workers being drawn to higher paid positions and more attractive working arrangements in private practice and interstate. As a result, Canberra Health Services is increasingly forced to outsource sonography services to external providers at significant cost to taxpayers, as ongoing recruitment and retention challenges leave the public system unable to meet demand.
In a survey of sonographers in Canberra's public health system taken by the CPSU, 95% of staff surveyed said they have gone to work with a work-related musculoskeletal injury or pain indicating areas of pain were in the wrist, shoulder, back, elbow and neck. 75% of public health sonographers surveyed said they had ongoing pain or pain every month from scanning.
The union says it has serious concerns about the Barr Government's ability to attract and retain public sector employees in the ACT when sonographers in the private sector are paid nearly 20 per cent more, and public sector sonographers in other jurisdictions are paid nearly 8 per cent more.
Sonographers in Canberra Health Services provide essential diagnostic ultrasound services that support patient diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care across a wide range of medical conditions, including cardiac, obstetric, gynaecological, musculoskeletal, breast and vascular care.
The CPSU is calling on the Barr Government to deliver better pay and conditions for sonographers in the public sector.
Quotes attributable to Maddy Northam, CPSU Regional Secretary
"The sonography pay claim was put in months ago - and while the ACT Government has been sitting on their hands, these important health workers delivered by scanning the babies and the hearts of our Canberran community.
"The Barr Government needs to do better to keep public sector sonographers in Canberra Health Services. They need to offer them a pay rise that keeps up with the private sector and interstate colleagues or risk losing public sonography services altogether.
"The CPSU wants to see this workforce supported and encouraged to continue providing high-quality health services for Canberran families. Sonographers will continue to take action until the government comes to the table.
"All these workers want is for this government to agree to this pay rise that is clearly well past it's due date."
