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About 2,000 Queensland Health workers are set to take protected industrial action in a bid for better pay after negotiations with the state government stalled. Medical staff including radiographers, pharmacists and oral health professionals, who are members of the United Workers Union (UWU) will begin rolling protected industrial action from Friday. The UWU said 98 per cent of those who voted in its ballot to consider the government's proposal, which included an 8 per cent pay rise over three years, rejected it. It said the state government's offer would not have provided attraction and retention bonuses, and therefore would have led to wage cuts for some workers. UWU Health and Ambulance coordinator Fiona Scanlon said none of the union's claims to improve wages and conditions were approved. "They've also proposed to take away some really crucial attraction and retention allowances that our members that work in specific parts of the hospitals as health professionals in medical imaging," she said. She said the workers who receive attraction and retention bonuses include people who work with cancer patients. Ms Scanlon said the action would not impact the care provided to patients, but would affect the department "in order to get them to come to the table with a serious offer". "They are things that our members take on because it's work that needs doing to keep things moving, but it's not actually part of their role in a lot of cases," she said. In a statement Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the government respected the union's right to take the action. "The public can be assured that our hospitals will continue to operate, and patients and people who need our assistance should still present at our emergency department with no impact on safety or treatment." It comes as the the Queensland Teachers' Union flagged on Tuesday it could take more strike action after members rejected the state government's final pay offer of an 8 per cent wage rise over three years for those in the public system. More than 50,000 teachers walked off the job on August 6 and the union said another 24 hour stoppage could be held in the coming weeks. Last month thousands of Queensland nurses and midwives voted in favour of a pay deal worth $1.8 billion after 10 months of negotiations. The new agreement includes an 11 per cent increase in wages over three years, overtime paid at double time for all shift workers and an increase in allowances for rural and regional nurses.
