Cleaners at the Royal Hobart Hospital have walked off the job for four hours today in an escalating dispute over management’s plan to create a new supervisory position.
The workers say the role is unnecessary bureaucracy when wards are critically short of cleaners.
They argue the funding should go towards permanent frontline cleaning positions instead.
“Understaffing in Environmental Services not only affects infection control across the hospital, but patient flow is also impacted when beds can’t be turned over because there aren’t enough cleaners,” HACSU State Secretary Robbie Moore said.
“Every unfilled shift is a risk.”
The Health and Community Services Union members want RHH management and the state government to scrap the proposal and are calling for the resources to be redirected to permanent, properly rostered cleaning staff working across all hours.
Moore said today’s action stemmed from management pushing ahead despite workers raising concerns through the “proper channels”.
“Today’s escalation of action didn’t come out of nowhere,” he said.
“Workers raised these concerns through the proper channels, but management pushed on regardless.”
“That’s the frustration driving people off the floor, not just the proposal itself, but the feeling that no one is listening.”
The four-hour stoppage affected cleaning services across the hospital.
A state government spokesperson said the proposed role “has no supervisory or line management function”.
“[It] is intended to relieve supervisors of significant administrative workloads,” the spokesperson told Pulse.
“While significant consultation has already occurred, the department will continue to engage with HACSU to resolve any concerns.”
