Same Work Same Pay: Medical Laboratory Workers Strike for 48 Hours
January 21 2025
APEX medical laboratory workers in Whangarei, Taranaki, Waikato, Tauranga, Whakatane, Rotorua, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Hawkes Bay, the Wellington region and the South Island, have voted to walk off the job for 24 hours on the 5th of February and a further 24 hours on the 7th of February. The strike action will impact the majority of hospital and community services across the motu.
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The strikes come off the back of APEXs bargaining claims for pay parity being rejected in three separate MECA negotiations with Awanui Labs, Pathlab Limited and Medlab Central/Tlab. Medical laboratory workers employed in these labs are paid on average 28-32% less than their Te Whatu Ora counterparts, despite performing the same work. The member’s message is simple “same work, same pay”. APEX has raised a claim for pay parity in each set of bargaining to rectify significant wage rate disadvantage, and in turn, enable the rebuilding of these struggling medical laboratory services.
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This morning, APEX Advocate Sam Heimsath said, “the ongoing wage gap has created an untenable recruitment and retention environment for privately owned laboratories”. Advocate Heimsath went on to say that “As a result, a number of members are working unsafely, burning out and ultimately exiting the sector. This vicious cycle threatens the sustainable provision of hospital and community diagnostic services in this country”.
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ENDS
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For further information please contact:
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Further information
What is a Medical Laboratory Worker?
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.