As healthcare workers voice their demands for a salary increase that matches inflation, they accuse the government of stalling negotiations. The call from these workers grows louder as the Allan government showcases Frankston’s newly revamped hospital.

In this climate of unrest, staff members, including orderlies, theatre technicians, and cleaners, are rallying for a 6 percent wage increase. This demand comes after over a year of waiting, as highlighted by Jake McGuinness from the Health Workers Union (HWU), who stated, “We’ve been negotiating now for 13 months, and we’ve still yet to get a payoff for overinflation.”

In response, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas has indicated that the situation has been escalated to the Fair Work Commission, seeking their help in reaching a resolution. “We are now in the Fair Work Commission seeking their assistance to resolve that agreement,” she commented.

The urgency of the situation intensifies as the workers plan to go on strike this Tuesday, further complicating matters for the government and the healthcare system. The mounting issues underscore a growing dissatisfaction among those who keep our hospitals running smoothly.

Workers, including orderlies, theatre technicians and cleaners, will go on strike on Tuesday.

But the problems are already piling up.

At St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, staff are refusing to clean non-clinical spaces while across more than 80 health services, one in four hospital beds are now closed.

Thousands of surgeries will be cancelled, the union says.

Thomas said it’s “a small number of cat two or three planned surgeries rescheduled across the state.”

“If they’re telling you that a category two or three surgery that you might have waited for six months or more is not that important and is not worthy of the minister’s attention, then that shows the callous disregard this government has for health workers and patients in this state,” McGuinness said.

Tuesday’s strike is only expected to last the day, but bed closures and surgery cancellations will continue until February and if, by then, a deal still hasn’t been reached, the union is hinting at indefinite strikes.