Southern Community Laboratories suspending medical laboratory workers

This morning Southern Community Laboratories (SCL) began suspending APEX members participating in partial strike action at its laboratories.

APEX union had given notice of partial strike action in these laboratories to withdraw from some non-urgent duties such as answering phones and performing certain tests.

“Yesterday we met in mediated bargaining with SCL and it is now clear to us that instead of thinking through and working out how to settle this collective bargaining the company has been preparing a strategy designed to intimidate laboratory professionals,” said APEX Laboratory National Advocate David Munro.

“SCL’s suspensions of union members in laboratories pose a grave risk to patient safety. Our laboratories are already perilously understaffed and under pressure. Suspending laboratory workers will increase the workload on those who remain, increase pressure in the laboratory, and stifle communication and co-operation in the laboratory,” said Mr Munro.

“We really do live in strange times. These weeks are crucial for our Covid-19 response, which is why we cancelled a full day strike at SCL last week. But the very people we need to keep New Zealanders safe this week are being suspended from work.”

“The inconvenient truth about this pandemic is our essential workers, our frontline health workers, including laboratory staff, are overworked, underpaid and always forgotten.”

“The employer probably thinks their suspensions this morning will intimidate the workforce. In fact, what it will do is compromise patient care and galvanise an already strong and united workforce to keep fighting for fair pay,” concluded Mr Munro.

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