QLD Health Sector Jobs Losses Condemned
10 September 2012 at 11:26 am
The Queensland Health sector has ‘condemned’ job cuts to over 1200 full time public servant employees by the Newman State Government.
Secretary of the Together Union, Alex Scott, said that the announcement was an unprecedented attack on public health.
“These Queenslanders are losing their jobs because this government is refusing to pay
appropriately for the hospital system our communities deserve,” Scott said.
“It’s an attack on the long term sustainability of our Queensland Health system and a declaration of intergenerational warfare.
“This government is cutting jobs and services in regional Queensland and they are trying to hide behind the health boards.
“It’s Treasurer Tim Nicholls and Premier Campbell Newman who will have to answer some serious questions about all this, this government is more interested in funding their election promises than funding our hospital system.”
Together Union Vice President Dr Sandy Donald said, “This government is glorying in sacking Queenslanders and the logic of cutting the health budget to make savings is bizarre.
“If they are slashing public preventative health services they are getting rid of the most effective way of reducing health costs for Queenslanders in ten years’ time,” Donald said.
A statement from the Queensland Government said that more than half of the job losses announced as a part of the reform of Queensland Health were directly attributed to cost blow-outs associated with the former Labor Government.
“Every person that loses their job in Queensland Health outside of head office can thank the former Labor government and the unions that continue to defend it,” Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said.
Queensland Health head office will lose 1217 full-time jobs, or 43 per cent of its current workforce.
