Workers at Counties Manakau District Health Board Sterile Supply Unit are taking strike action from 22 to 24 October 2008. Their collective agreement expired on 1 July 2007, and they are still waiting for a decent offer from the employer. The staff have rejected the Health Board’s offer on the basis of: the term of the agreement, their refusal to pay back pay and the failure to include a fifth week of annual leave.
The workers, who are members of the Northern Amalgamated Workers Union held a high spirited picket outside the DHB’s headquarters on the first day of action. The constant toots of support from South Auckland drivers was near-deafening, so hopefully the bosses over the road have got the message.