March 4, 2026
Opposition Leader Steven Miles planned to table nearly 2000 “invoices” in State Parliament on Wednesday from Queensland Health workers who claim they are doing hours of unpaid work.
The invoices – which total more than $200 million – are from radiographers, sonographers, nuclear medicine scientists, dental prosthetists, pharmacists, clinical assistants and radiation therapists.
The action is part of an ongoing campaign by the United Workers Union which says a Queensland Health move last year to strip attraction and retention bonuses would see some employees’ salaries cut by 25 per cent.
A union spokesperson said the “invoices” covered unpaid duties including embedded clinical education for registrars, ED doctors and medical students; transporting patients; and governance of clinical trials and research.
It is part of an Enterprise Bargaining campaign which began last October after workers rejected an 8 per cent pay rise over three years.
The union says the Queensland Health offer cut allowances but did not address staffing levels, workloads and other conditions.
The spokesperson said nuclear medicine scientists had already resigned, either moving interstate or into the private sector, while negotiations with the State Government and Health Minister Tim Nicholls had stalled.
“These workers have given Queenslanders more than $200 million in unpaid hours and duties, yet the Crisafulli Government still thinks they deserve the rough end of the pineapple,” United Workers Union spokesperson Fiona Scalon said.
“Remember, these are the workers who are identifying and treating cancer in our public hospitals.
“What other worker in Australia, in this cost of living crisis, has had or is facing a 25 per cent reduction to their take-home pay?”
On February 13, workers at 14 Queensland hospitals – including Toowoomba – walked off the job for two hours as part of the industrial action, causing delays in MRIs, X-rays and ultrasounds.
