Mater staff in disbelief over hundreds of job cuts as union calls for intervention
The union for pathology workers says the timing of hundreds of job cuts at Mater hospitals in Brisbane and Springfield "could hardly be worse".
Union for pathology workers has urged Queensland state government to step in after Mater Health prepares to axe more than 400 jobs. The pathology services at Mater hospitals in South Brisbane and Springfield are set to be outsourced, with over 100 positions to be scrapped in the next two months, followed by the rest next year. The union representing pathology workers has called for intervention from the state government, as the decision to cut jobs is not a reflection of the staff's capability, professionalism, or commitment.
In a statement, Mater said that rising costs of delivering pathology services have outpaced Medicare funding. Together Queensland wrote to Health Minister Tim Nicholls, urging him to intervene and ask Mater to halt any first-phase job terminations until consultation and redeployment processes had been completed. The union said that three weeks of consultation and a seven-day redeployment window is not a genuine opportunity to explore alternatives, leaving workers counting down to redundancy.
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