Union Games Continue with Health and Safety Noise – But Still No Response to Lock out Offer

The SFWU is currently making noise about health and safety in hospitals as a result of its own decision to strike rather than negotiate – yet is still refusing to discuss a health and safety protocol that Spotless has proposed in exchange for lifting the lock out.

“We have told the union we are happy to lift the lock out as long as the union agrees to some strike protocols that will protect the health and safety of patients, staff and visitors.”

“If they are really so concerned about health and safety, then why do they refuse to talk to us about the protocol?”

“The union has already tried to get the Government involved in this dispute and now it is trying to rope the DHBs into it.”

“The union has been playing games for months. Noise about health and safety is the latest one. We know full well it is one of their tactics,” said Russell.

Russell noted that Spotless had not received any complaints from DHBs during the period of the strike – and that the unions allegations, when investigated, consistently prove to lack any substance.

“This is a strike. It’s intended to be disruptive. But our team is working well and the contingency plans have been great.”

800 of Spotless 11,000 total staff are on strike.

“The lock outs were instituted for health and safety reasons – because the union designed its strike to cause maximum disruption in hospitals,” said Russell.

The SFWU rolling strikes are set to continue for at least two weeks with each individual strike taking 55 minutes in every hour – but with the strikers intending to return to their jobs for the residual five minutes in every hour. Under the Employment Relations Act, in the absence of a lock out, covering staff would have been required to stop work every time the striking staff came back on site.

“We could not guarantee adequate levels of health and safety for patients in hospitals with striking and non-striking staff continuously coming and going and continuously interrupting their work. So, for health and safety reasons we have locked the striking SFWU members out for the period of their rolling strikes.”

“We did not want to see patients being abandoned on their trolley half way to theatre, uncooked food and cleaning equipment lying about the corridors.”

“Once again, if the union is so concerned about health and safety, then we are happy to lift the lock out if they agree to strike on terms that protect patients, staff and visitors,” said Russell.

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