Call the HACSU Helpline
1300 88 00 32

more info

Winter 2006

Worksite Committee Fights for Reasonable Workloads

A worksite committee has been set up for Pathology workers at the LGH.

Increasing workloads resulting from ongoing vacant positions was the key issue that prompted the establishment of the committee.

"There are six or seven positions vacant, many of which have been unfilled since August 2004, that haven't even been advertised," Pathology worker Steve Madden said, "This means more overtime is required of existing staff."

"We've had a number of people leave because of the stress of high workloads."

Increased workloads and work intensity have been exacerbated by growing patient numbers, with over 100 patients each day arriving at Pathology to have blood taken.

"It's good that there are more doctors and other hospital staff, but it does flow onto other areas generating more work" Steve explains, "and when Pathology is flooded with work our turn around time has an impact on the whole hospital."

The worksite committee has approached hospital management and made it clear that while filling the vacant positions is a short-term necessity, in the longer term, a strategy for managing increasing amounts of Pathology work must be put in place.