APEX union lab workers to strike in labs testing for COVID-19, Ministry of Health ‘disappointed’
Laboratory workers will strike in labs currently testing for the novel coronavirus – a protest that comes at a “poor time”, according to Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
District Health Board (DHB) medical laboratory workers and NZ Blood Service employees, who are members of the APEX union, will strike on March 13.
“[This is] in support of achieving a fair offer to settle their multi-employer collective agreement,” an APEX press release said on Monday.
For the love of Christ, you don’t use a pandemic as a negotiating tool! Can someone from the CTU kindly suggest to their APEX comrades that stunts like this damages a Unions reputation horrifically!
The market meltdown and the exponential spread of the virus should now be sending warning signs to every Government that we face a unique crisis of capitalism that will on top of the public health damage create an economic depression until we get a vaccine.
Remember the good ole days (January) when the woke be screaming on twitter that criticism of the virus was racist & xenophobic & that flu killed more?
Yeah, well prediction is now 500000 dead Americans.
Can we acknowledge this is dangerous yet or will I get cancelled for suggesting this isn’t a bloody identity politics issue but a public health threat and economic crisis?
We haven’t even started the pandemic yet and already our public health system is creaking at the seams.
This requires an enormous war footing economy until we gat a vaccine (12-18months away) and no one is appreciating or implementing that yet.
As TDB was pointing out at the beginning, this is a black swan event, all efforts must be made to protect NZers and close the borders while the Government literally props up the country by borrowing until the vaccine arrives.
Anything less is a calculation between how many lives you are prepared to have die for economic stability at a time when there won’t be any economic stability.
Y’know, this is just too “neat” somehow.
Something about it does not add up.
Who are they, these “lab workers”? Are they born and bred Kiwis? Any of them?
Or are they one-month-kiwis, or imported workers, or… were those that organised this, paid generously to do so? Eg paid by the Nats?
The entire “strike” at this time does not make sense. It is not what Kiwis do, not the way we act in emergencies. It has none of the Kiwi spirit.
And… it sets the stage perfectly, too perfectly, demonising the unions, ready for mr bridges to slam the unions with the next phase of his ‘policy unveiling’.
I reckon it’s a set-up.
The strike is the next step in an industrial employment dispute that has been running since mid 2019 – long before the coronavirus outbreaks. As a virus, any testing will be done by the virologists within the laboratory system – other laboratory services and roles such as microbiology, biochemistry, histology, haematology, cytology and immunology would not be involved in any aspect of the coronavirus testing and so their absence through the industrial action on Friday will not be an issue.
As for Khaela’s comments – Martin, I suggest you turn the blog’s ‘stupid’ filter on.
if they are so important why have they not been paid an increase . The government give Mr Racist Shane Jones 3 billion to splash the cash and buy a return to power. Their waste is incredible
If we’re to believe that this illness is the rapture, apocalypse and a disaster movie rolled into one (some are calling it a disease of natural cause, an overreaction and even an economic opportunity), then striking would seem reckless and unforgivable. Maybe this virus isn’t that bad then, with this industrial action no different than at any other time taken by health professionals. In more Covid news, did I see Jack on Q+A pull the Health Minister up about publicising the lack of paracetamol, Jack’s thesis being the dissemination of unnecessary hysteria related to affected supply chains?
Ashley Bloomfield was happy to pit the two junior doctors groups against each other as a negotiating strategy, and now after dragging his heels on the lab workers legitimate concerns, appears to be trying to scapegoat them to conveniently duck dealing with the substantive matters, including recognising some highly qualified peoples bona fides and abilities.
“Lifesavers” such as trained Labworkers, Firefighters and Ambulance Officers have rights too! If workers action has to be suspended (and they have excluded Corona tests from action) due to the virus, how about the employer class stops exploiting till a vaccine is produced! This is a huff and puff argument.
The APEX union has been trying to negotiate with the DHBs for MONTHS starting from middle of last year. TRYING on the APEX part because the government side refuses to talk about making the lab workers’ pay fair at the meetings they turn up to because they haven’t been given the “authority” by the ministry. The lab workers within the APEX union have been striking or on partial strikes (not taking phone calls) for MONTHS starting about mid last year. For Ashley Bloomfield to come out here and say those things he’s saying really tells how manipulative the government is! And for the record the corona virus has ALWAYS been serious, the government isn’t treating it as a serious matter while certain members of society are using it for xenophobic attacks. Also last time I checked it’s INCREDIBLY Kiwi to strike if you’re not being paid the same as your colleagues who are doing the exact same work as you.
APEX are not affiliated to the CTU.
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