Disruptions are expected at Victorian public hospitals as thousands of allied health workers walk off the job over a pay dispute.
Radiographers, sonographers, physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists and social workers will all participate in a 24-hour strike from midnight on Tuesday.
The union representing allied health workers said the industrial action came after protracted bargaining and “insulting and disrespectful” wage offers from the Victorian government.
More than 13,000 allied health professionals will be covered by a new Public Sector Enterprise Agreement being negotiated.
The union is seeking a 36.18 per cent wage increase over three years.
The Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association (VAHPA) said it was the first time allied health workers had taken 24-hour strike action.
VAHPA executive officer Andrew Hewat said allied health workers were a “largely forgotten workforce”.
“We want a wage offer and conditions that the allied health professionals deserve,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
Andrew Hewat said the government’s offers had been “insulting and disrespectful” to allied health professionals. (Supplied)
“At the moment they’re just being completely disrespected and the offer that did come through recently — only after we announced we were going to take industrial action — falls far short of the mark.
“We need to be able to compete with our colleagues interstate and we’re far behind them and we also need to address some of the shortfalls in terms of our career classification structures.”
Allied health workers are due to march to state parliament on Tuesday lunchtime.
The union says urgent care staff will remain on the job during the strike action.
A Victorian government spokesperson said negotiations between the parties were continuing in good faith.
