Union members strike

Union members gathered in Bunbury’s CBD today to continue their campaign against the privatisation of hospitals and school support services.

After the recent defeat of the No Privatisation Bill in Parliament, the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union is calling on members of the public to support hospital service workers from Bunbury, Busselton, Collie, Harvey and Margaret River by attending the rally.

Workers attended a rally at Anzac Park in Bunbury today.

LHMU South West regional organiser Lee Edmundson said LHMU members wanted the government to cancel any plans to privatise the Fiona Stanley Hospital, Midland Health Campus, Busselton Hospital and the new children’s hospital.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Dr Kim Hames previously told the South Western Times there were no plans to privatise services at Bunbury Hospital.

Mr Edmundson said in discussing the No Privatisation Bill in Parliament, Dr Hames said he disagreed with what his government did in the past because it ‘‘wasn’t done properly and that resulted in/made a significant contribution to outbreaks’’.

‘‘Even the Health Minister himself admitted that privatisation of cleaning services at Royal Perth Hospital by the Liberal Court government in the 1990s contributed to the VRE superbug outbreak in 2001,’’ Mr Edmundson said.

‘‘More than 170 people were infected and it cost $2.1 million to clean up.’’

Mr Edmundson said he hoped the rally in the CBD today would get the attention of politicians, especially those who voted against the Bill.

‘‘We have been consistently ignored on this issue by the blinkered Barnett government but it will be very hard for the Premier and his Cabinet to ignore a rally against privatisation right under their noses.’’

Workers from other country hospitals who can not attend the rally will be striking for between one and three hours.

A spokesman for the Health Department said the situation at Bunbury Hospital would be monitored closely to ensure that services to patients will not be affected by any disruption.