Corporate Bullies Lock Out Low Paid Hospital Service Workers

“This is the action of corporate bullies who have a callous disregard for these low paid workers and their families,” CTU president Ross Wilson said tonight.

"Service and support staff in hospitals are some of the lowest paid workers in the country and it is an indictment of these huge multi-national companies that they have reacted with lockout notices because these workers have organised together to claim a collective agreement to improve their pitiful wages,” he said.

Three overseas employers, OCS Ltd, ISS Ltd and Compass, have tonight issued lock out notices to around 700 service and support workers in district health boards in New Zealand, who are members of the Service and Food Workers’ Union Nga Ringa Tota.

“This is the third time in a year, and a second time this month, that we have seen this sort of bullying corporate behaviour from large overseas employers.” 

“Last year when Progressive Enterprises tried it on they provoked an unprecedented level of action from New Zealand workers, families and communities, support which quickly became international.”

“It will be just as unacceptable to right thinking Kiwis that these huge international corporates should act in this way to try and coerce these workers to drop their claim for a collective agreement and a few dollars more.”

“I am putting these companies on notice that they are not just taking on a group of vulnerable low paid workers, many of whom are women, Maori, Pacific and part-time,” he said. “They are also taking on the wider union movement and the more than 350,000 working New Zealanders we represent.”

"A healthy hospital is one where all staff, including service staff, are treated with respect. We call on the ‘corporate three’ to come back to the negotiations with an open mind about a MECA for service and support workers, and consider the benefits it would bring to hospitals."

Ends.  Click here to read the SFWU media release.