Remember the Pandemic Heroes?..,
1 February 2024
That’s right, they are the medical laboratory workers who collected, processed, and reported on Covid-19 during the national pandemic crisis, and saved thousands of lives. Perhaps not so well known is that 70% of those workers work for private laboratories run by Awanui Labs Ltd where a senior scientist is paid 33% less (that’s right, a whole third less!) than their identical counterparts in a Te Whatu Ora Lab.
Laboratory Workers at SCL Labs – part of Awanui Labs – in the South Island and Wellington region will strike for 24 hours on Monday 5th February 2024.
This strike will be a full withdrawal of labour for all APEX members – including scientists, technicians and phlebotomists – at all medical laboratories and collection centres from the Wellington region south, except for Canterbury Health Labs at Christchurch hospital and the lab at Grey hospital on the West Coast which are run by Te Whatu Ora. The strike also includes the Awanui Lab in Hawkes Bay.
The planned strike action is part of a continuing strike campaign (that began in July 2023) to secure a reasonable pay offer at collective bargaining.
APEX represents more than 80% of the workforce who fall within the coverage of the collective agreement.
‘Unless this yawning gulf in pay rates is fixed soon the New Zealand public health system will collapse as scientists and technicians continue to leave the profession in droves,’ said APEX Lead Advocate David Munro today. ‘It is no exaggeration,’ he continued, ‘you can’t run a hospital without laboratory services, and this profession is on a precipice.’
ENDS
Contact: David Munro – Advocacy Lead Mobile: (027) 276 9999 Email: david@apex.org.nz
What is a Medical Laboratory Worker?
Medical Laboratory Workers are registered health professionals who run laboratories and test, interpret and report laboratory results. They are trained to identify disease and abnormalities through studying blood, tissue and other bodily samples. Laboratory workers work ‘behind the scenes’ but remain an integral part of the health system whose work is vital to patient treatment. More than 90% of prescribed treatments require laboratory input to aid/confirm diagnosis or to monitor drug levels or disease progression.
Medical laboratory science is a bit like detective work. Workers look for answers to the disease ‘puzzle’ to help doctors diagnose and treat their patients. They answer questions such as: are these cells abnormal? What do these blood cells tell us about this person’s health? How does it fit in with their other symptoms? How much of drug ‘x’ is in this person’s blood? Is it working effectively? What bug is making this person sick?
Medical Laboratory Workers take on a high level of responsibility, often needing to make important decisions under pressure. Emergencies can occur at any time, day or night, so laboratory workers have to prioritise and use their initiative, often without much back-up. If the doctor needs to know the answer, they have to deliver. Sometimes this means working through the night providing results while patients fight for their life in another part of the hospital or a surgeon waits, mid-operation, for a phone call.
Responsibilities include developing, adapting and applying scientific methods of analysis and ensuring high standards of quality assurance. An understanding of the methodology and theory behind complicated, technical and automated equipment is essential, as is developing the skills necessary to identify and interpret abnormalities under the microscope or via other diagnostic technology. Laboratory workers are highly regarded and sought after worldwide.