LHMU - UNION ACTIVE

Kerry Hanrahan, an LHMU delegate at Peel, was sacked in a two minute telephone call on Thursday, December 10. She has yet to be given a reason in writing for her dismissal.

The LHMU believes the matter relates to campaigning work by union officials who last week walked through Peel Health Campus dressed as monkeys and handed out nuts to staff, patients and relatives to illustrate how badly support staff and enrolled nurses are paid there.

The friendly and good-natured campaigning turned sour however when three of the team were allegedly assaulted by members of the management team at Peel. Police are investigating the matter.

In a letter sent to Ms Hanrahan before her sacking, Catherine McKinley, director of nursing at the hospital, asked her about her knowledge of the campaign work.

Ms Hanrahan, who has worked at Peel for 10-and-a-half years, was not involved in the work of the LHMU officials that day but had been photographed with the officials dressed as monkeys.

'Total disbelief'

She said she was shocked and upset at the way she had been treated.

“I have done nothing wrong. I am in total disbelief and what about the patients I was looking after in the rehabilitation unit I was working in?” She said.

“The area I work in is very specialized and I helped to run it. My friends and ex-colleagues there have told me I am a highly valued member of the team and the unit would be lost without me.

“I have had letters of thanks from patients and their relatives for the care I’ve provided over the years.

“Christmas is ruined for my husband and I. We will have to go into our savings because I was the main earner and he only gets half a pension.”

'Scapegoat'

Carolyn Smith, assistant secretary of the LHMU said she was disgusted by the sacking and the way it had been done.

“Kerry Hanrahan was an extremely hard working and highly valued member of staff at Peel who has been made a scapegoat by the hospital because they are unhappy about the campaigning work of the union in the hospital that day.

“And to dismiss her in the way they did over the phone at 5.30pm so that it was too late for her to call the union is despicable. Unfortunately it’s also typical of the bullying way Peel treats its staff.

“The LHMU has been trying to negotiate a fair pay deal for its members at Peel Health Campus for the last 13 months but are being stonewalled in bargaining.

“These enrolled nurses and support staff like cleaners, kitchen staff, orderlies, carers, maintenance staff and sterilization staff are some of the lowest paid workers in the state and Peel are offering them just a 1.8% pay rise. They want 4.5%.

“This is a hospital that has made more than $40 million in profit over the last five years.

“This profit has been re-invested offshore and not back into the hospital or into the pockets of the hard working staff like Kerry who keep the service running smoothly.”