Government delays staff car parking charges in eight hospitals after
Following pressure from hospital workers, the government has announced it will delay introducing staff car parking charges at eight of its metropolitan hospitals.
Staff at Armadale, Bentley, Graylands, Rockingham, Kaleeya, Swans and Shenton Park, who have not had to pay for parking before, have had the financial pain of parking costs delayed until the beginning of 2012. Staff at Osborne Park Hospital only have temporary reprieve. They will have to start paying parking fees on 11 April 2011.
The Barnett government had originally wanted to introduce and drastically increase car parking fees for hospital staff from 1 January 2011. But after more than 3500 letters were sent to health bosses by hospital workers as part of a joint union campaign, the government has delayed the introduction of the fees for some hospital workers.Health department collects petitions
Unfortunately there is no change to the increases for staff wanting to park at Royal Perth, Sir Charles Gairdner, Fremantle, Princess Margaret and King Edward Memorial Hospitals.
Staff at each of these hospitals will see their parking fees rise every six months. By July 1 2014, staff at RPH, Fremantle and SCGH will be paying $7.50 daily for parking their car in the staff car park.
The joint health unions (LHMU, HSU, CFMEU, AMWU and CEPU) will be continuing their campaign against the introduction of and increases in the fees.
Carolyn Smith, assistant secretary of the LHMU, said: “We will still be following through with underpayment claims for any union member who has been charged the increased fee from 1 January 2011.
“We believe the increases are grossly unfair in the current economic climate. It is immoral for this government to be profiting from workers in this way.
“Many of these people are shift workers, meaning that public transport is out of the question for them. If they want to continue working at these hospitals, some of them will be forced to make sacrifices which is a ridiculous state of affairs in a state as rich as WA.
“The delays are good news for our members at these eight hospitals. It gives us more time to persuade the government that the parking increases are an insult to people already trying to afford this government’s utility price hikes.”