Courtesy www.abc.net.au
Cleaners at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney have imposed bans in an effort to have almost 30 positions re-filled. The www.abc.net.au reported that cleaning staff are refusing overtime and would not clean any offices from 18 April.
The ABC quotes Health Services Union secretary, Gerard Hayes, as pointing out budget cuts are making clinical areas prone to infection.
“Administrative areas and executive areas will not be cleaned,” he said.
“They will put us in the Industrial Commission and say this is outrageous but, at the end of the day, what is outrageous is patients going into hospitals where there are not enough cleaners to look after the infection control areas.”
The Hospital stated there are two vacant jobs out of 156 in the cleaning services department.
The matter was due to be heard in the Industrial Relations Commission on 18 April.