Sth Coast Considers District Strike

Date: 20 April 2004

A meeting of combined unions district delegates in Wollongong last night voted unanimously to consider district wide industrial action in the Illawarra if the NSW government did not progress demands for a local medical retrieval unit within 14 days.

The campaign, coordinated by the South Coast Labour Council, was initiated after a spate of recent workplace deaths, road and other accidents in the region raised serious questions about reponse times and exposed the fact there is no medical retrieval unit based in the region.

Arthur Rorris, South Coast Labour Council Secretary, said:

"We have thousands of workers in heavy industry risking their lives every time they go to work. The least the government can do is provide adequate local emergency services should they be needed."

"It is a disgrace that our local health service does not currently have one specialist retrieval doctor able to attend to a serious injury in the workplace."

"The delegates and their workmates have had enough, they are not prepared to wait for the next death and wonder if it could have been prevented with a faster medical response."

The meeting also supported moves in the Upper House by the Greens, Opposition and cross benches for a parliamentary inquiry into medical retrieval services in the Illawarra.

For further information

Contact:	Arthur Rorris
Union:	South Coast Labour Council
Phone:	0424 292888
Contact Mobile:	0409 223029

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