Blood collection and diagnostic services across most of the South Island, and the Wellington region are set for rolling strike action as phlebotomists and lab technicians call for fair pay.
Employees of Southern Community Laboratories (SCL) walked off the job today.
Helen Lagan is in her 40th year as a phlebotomist, and says she feels like a small cog in a big wheel, "where workers are forgotten."
She says fair pay is what they're asking for, with a senior Awanui scientist, with eight years experience on an $80k salary, while a senior nurse with five years' experience can earn $105k.
"Baristas can be paid what we get paid, or even more. I'm not saying baristas don't do a good job, but our job is much more technical much more skilled and it's just not recognised as that."
Her colleagues on the picket line agree.
Elaine Wilson doesn't think phlebotomists are recognised appropriately.
"Without your blood samples you don't get your results, you don't get your treatments, you don't get admissions, your hospital appointments, your operations. If we don't bleed people, nothing in the system works."
Wellington's central SCL collection point is currently closed for three months due to staffing issues.
"We were just really under the pump. and we've really pulled through, we've done an incredible job, and it's about time we see some compensation for it," says Wellington phlebotomist Ange Mills.
Their employer, Aranui Labs, acknowledges the workers striking this week and say they are currently in mediation with union reps.
"We do have a shared interest in increasing pay for our people," says Aranui chief people officer Emma Kelly.
"We do value our people and it's a difficult position to be in strikes for our people, for our patients, for everyone. So just want to go into this situation with empathy and respect for all of those involved."
On claims that entry level jobs are paying barely above the minimum wage, Kelly says they "have a range of roles within our laboratories, from entry level roles through to very experienced pathologists. And as you'd expect, for a workforce of over 2,000 people there is a range.
"We remain as keen as our people and as our union to increase those and we work with our funding partners on that, and we continue to have those conversations with them."
Those conversations with the union have at least resulted in the first offer being made to workers, which 1News understands to include a 5% pay increase.
"It doesn't even get them to parity with colleagues from the public hospitals, and with inflation the way it is at the moment, it's effectively a wage cut. So it looks like these strikes are continuing," says Apex union advocacy lead David Munro.
Workers are unhappy that Aranui won't meet their wage increase demands, despite paying out a $41 million dividend to shareholders in the last financial year.
Munro says frontline workers want Aranui to invest in them, not the shareholders.
"They are the business. You can't run laboratories without scientists, technicians and phlobotomists. They know it, and it's about time the company knows it too."
On the dividend, Aranui's Kelly says it was "a one-off dividend" and that the business has already seen a significant decline in revenue and profits.
"I can understand the concern, but we need to operate in the environment we're in now, which is different to the Covid environment."
Thursday will see lab technicians striking, with more expected next week.
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