NT hospital workers walk off the job protesting latest enterprise agreement

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Allied health workers walked off the job for 2 hours on Wednesday at the Northern Territory's two largest hospitals in Darwin and Alice Springs. Union members protested the government’s latest enterprise agreement offer.

Transcript

00:00A purple and red alliance battling for a better deal.

00:06What do we do when we're under attack? Stand up, fight back!

00:09The health services union's second strike in just under three months

00:14over the new enterprise agreement with the NT's CLP government.

00:18After the first offer was voted down and referred to the Fair Work Commission,

00:23healthcare workers say the government's new offer also falls short,

00:27compared with the deal negotiated with police.

00:30The NTG's proud of the pay offer to the police pay deal

00:34because they need a top world-class police force

00:37and that they do a dangerous job every day.

00:39Well, Allied Health at Alice Springs Hospital do a dangerous job every day.

00:43The latest offer includes a 1% pay rise.

00:46Not good enough, says the union.

00:49This offer just fails to keep up with inflation.

00:52It fails to keep crucial and critical Allied Health jobs

00:55competitive with other states and jurisdictions in Australia.

00:59If we don't get a better offer from government,

01:01we're going to see services close and not have enough staff

01:04to provide those essential health services for every territory needs.

01:08The NT government calls Billy Elric a labour operative

01:12and points to the health services union accepting a lower pay rise deal

01:16in South Australia.

01:18But Elric says that deal had higher compounding rates

01:22as well as better benefits like leave or professional development.

01:27As negotiations continue, the NT government's relationship with unions

01:31appears to be worsening.

01:33This current government has no relationship with the unions.

01:35They don't reach out to the unions.

01:37They see us as an enemy.

01:39They see me as the union.

01:40I am not the union.

01:41This is the union.

01:43The fight goes on with the rift widening.

01:47Union! Union! Union! Union! Union!

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