Flinders Medical Centre workers to strike this afternoon
Workers across multiple departments at Flinders Medical Centre will strike for half an hour this afternoon with fair pay demands.
About 80 workers across theatres, patient transport, cleaning, and sterilisation departments will take part in a 30-minute coordinated stop-work from 2:30 pm today.
The action is part of a broader state-wide campaign by United Workers Union members, which includes disability support workers, aged and community care workers, education and health support workers, demanding better wages and respect.
Flinders Medical Centre Patient Services Assistant Barb Possingham said they’ve “been pushed to the brink”.
“Without us, hospitals wouldn’t function, and patient care would be compromised,” Possingham said.
Possingham said health support workers play an important role to reduce ramping and improve patient wait times.
She said on Monday afternoon, 22 patients were waiting for a bed in the Flinders Medical Centre emergency department.
“Nine of those patients had been waiting more than 12 hours and one more than 24 hours,” she said.
“We are short-staffed daily because people can’t afford to work here.
“That means patients are stuck waiting in the emergency department or in an ambulance on the ramp because there simply aren’t enough workers to clean rooms and move patients.”
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The latest SA Health data shows ramping improved last month to 3700 hours – a 10.5 per cent decrease on March 2025 and 33 per cent down from July last year.
United Workers Union South Australian State Secretary Demi Pnevmatikos said today’s action “marks a significant escalation in the campaign, sending a strong message to the Malinauskas Labor Government that the time for a fair, liveable wage offer is now”.
“Health and disability support workers are the backbone of our public services, yet they continue to be underpaid and undervalued,” Pnevmatikos said.
“Workers who are key to our state’s healthcare system should be able to do the important work of caring for South Australians and be able to put food on the table and keep a roof over their children’s heads.”
Since February, more than 1100 Department of Human Services workers and 1000 health support workers have implemented ongoing work bans in their pursuit of fair wages.
