Workers from major hospitals are gathering at Hindmarsh Square to rally outside the SA Health building, where they will talk about the impact of having to pay reinstated hospital car parking fees.

Free car parking and public transport for all hospital workers, including orderlies, cleaners and nurses, was introduced at the height of the pandemic but was axed by the state government in July following the revocation of the Major Emergency Declaration.

The United Workers Union estimates the free parking cut will cost hospital staff up to $1300 a year at a time of soaring cost-of-living pressures.

This equates to a pay cut of two per cent for a hospital cleaner earning $27 an hour, the UWU said.

“You can be sure the fees are causing real fear and heartache among essential health workers,” UWU public sector coordinator Paul Blackmore said.

“The fact that it has come to this marks a failure by the SA government to understand the cost-of-living pressures facing some of South Australia’s lowest-paid workers.

“When inflation is running at more than six per cent budgets are being squeezed and the imposition of fees of this magnitude is devastating.”

The rally comes despite the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation pulling out of the free car parking protest yesterday after receiving “a commitment” from the state government to negotiate on parking fees as part of the union’s enterprise bargaining negotiations.

“Certainly there was a commitment to seek to resolve the car parking issue,” ANMF state secretary Elizabeth Dabars said.

“As a result of that – due to those commitments – we have resolved not to actively participate in the rallying around car parking as a sign of good faith.”

But other, often lower-paid, healthcare workers including cleaners, orderlies, sterilisation technicians and catering attendants have received no such commitment.

Further, Blackmore said the UWU had already settled its three-year enterprise agreement in February.

“We think it’s entirely possible to be able to discuss and negotiate car parking outside of enterprise bargaining discussions,” he said.

“Our members simply can’t wait that long for some reprieve from the car parking costs that they want to reintroduce.

“We are hopeful that the government will see that this is a significant issue for our members who are the lowest paid workers in the healthcare system.”

Deputy Premier Susan Close said any disruption to services was always disappointing but didn’t expect Friday’s industrial action to cause major issues.

She said the government’s wanted the question of free parking for hospital workers to form part of enterprise agreement negotiations.

“So those discussions are ongoing with various unions at different times when enterprise agreements are ready to be negotiated,” she said.

“The challenge here is we’re dealing with something that was brought in as an extraordinary provision and one that always going to come to an end.

“It has duly come to an end.”

-With AAP