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Speaker 1: Now. Yesterday on the show, we again spoke about the

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Speaker 1: concerns of pharmacists in the Northern Territory. We know the

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Speaker 1: Professional Pharmacists Australia union members were scheduled to commence industrial

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Speaker 1: action on Friday last week, but they say that the

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Speaker 1: action was temporarily paused due to a last minute application

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Speaker 1: made by the Northern Territory government seeking to stop the

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Speaker 1: action through the Fair Work Commission. Now union members, well,

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Speaker 1: they started that action yesterday as I understand it. Joining

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Speaker 1: us live on the line is Executive Officer of the

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Speaker 1: Professional Pharmacists Australia, Jessica Hensman.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 3: Jessica, good morning.

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Speaker 2: Now tell me what action was taken yesterday.

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Speaker 3: So a number of actions were taken yesterday. One of

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Speaker 3: the key actions that members are taking is basically not

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Speaker 3: claiming the federal government funding subsidy for medications. And what

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Speaker 3: that means is that while our members take action, it's

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Speaker 3: going to be costing the TERROR for a million dollars

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Speaker 3: a week.

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Speaker 1: Wow, and talk our listeners through to those who maybe

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Speaker 1: aren't aware of why you're taking this action, maybe they

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Speaker 1: missed our last interview. Why is this needed and why

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Speaker 1: have you reached this point.

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Speaker 3: So we've reached this point because for over twelve months

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Speaker 3: now our members have been raising the alarm over dangerously

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Speaker 3: understaffed hospital pharmacy departments. So fifty percent understaffed Dallas Springs,

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Speaker 3: thirty percent at Royal Darwin and Parmerson Hospital, and no

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Speaker 3: permanent staff at Catherine Hospital, which means that cancer services

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Speaker 3: could you know, be shut down at Catherine. So big,

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Speaker 3: big issues.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, last time we spoke, you know, you'd

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Speaker 1: outlaid those concerns and really made it very clear for

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Speaker 1: me to see why this was needed. I mean, we

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Speaker 1: are talking about here pharmacists being paid the same amount

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Speaker 1: as what they get paid to do the same job

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Speaker 1: in another state, aren't we.

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Speaker 3: That's correct. One of our members who's the pharmacy dispensary

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Speaker 3: manager at Royal Darwin could be paid twenty thousand dollars

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Speaker 3: more to do the same job in Queensland.

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Speaker 1: Like, why are we in a situation in the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory where you guys are not getting paid the same

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Speaker 1: as you know, as your equivalents interstate.

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Speaker 3: I think you know, pharmacists are a small group in

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Speaker 3: the in the sea of public servants here and I

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Speaker 3: think it's kind of a case of just not having

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Speaker 3: their voices heard, and now we're making our voices heard,

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Speaker 3: but unfortunately the government is not responding.

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Speaker 2: So where too from here? What are your next steps?

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Speaker 3: From your perspective, our members are going to continue taking

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Speaker 3: industrial action until they hear from the government. Unfortunately, the

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Speaker 3: government's playing dirty tactics and docking our members pay by

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Speaker 3: twenty five percent each day that they participate in action.

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Speaker 3: But our members have said to me that they feel

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Speaker 3: like they have no other option. It's either you know,

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Speaker 3: an imminent collapse of pharmacy services in the future, or

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Speaker 3: they fight. They fight their little heart out to make changes.

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Speaker 1: I know that, you know, the government seems to think

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Speaker 1: that it's just another union sort of looking to cause

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Speaker 1: trouble for them because there's a pay negotiation underway. I mean,

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Speaker 1: what would you say to anybody listening this morning that

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Speaker 1: thinks that.

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Speaker 3: So this is the first time in history that pharmacists

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Speaker 3: and pharmacy technicians have taken industrial action in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 3: So it takes a lot to get pharmacists and technicians

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Speaker 3: fired up. But where they draw the line is where

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Speaker 3: patient safety is at risk. So that's what's happening.

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Speaker 1: And I know you've got the support as well of

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Speaker 1: the Australian Salary Medical Officers I believe is their name,

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Speaker 1: but you know you've got the support of other medical

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Speaker 1: professionals here who really feel that there does need to

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Speaker 1: be some change in this space.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, the doctors and the nurses are being a big support.

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Speaker 3: They really need pharmacists by their side to make sure

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Speaker 3: that medication areas are picked up and that Territorians know

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Speaker 3: that when they go to hospital that they're going to

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Speaker 3: be safe.

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Speaker 1: Yep, Jessica, I believe we're in a We're trying to

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Speaker 1: get either the Minister or the you know, the departmental

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Speaker 1: head the Commissioner on the show about this tomorrow.

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Speaker 2: What is your message for them?

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Speaker 3: Put some money on the table. This is a dire situation.

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Speaker 3: We cannot compete with other states or territories or the

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Speaker 3: private sector. So if you want Territorians to be safe

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Speaker 3: when they go to hospital, put some money on the table.

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Speaker 1: Well, Jessica, I really appreciate your time this morning. My

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Speaker 1: understanding is that we have locked in the OCPE the

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Speaker 1: Commissioner fort tomorrow morning, so we will certainly put that

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Speaker 1: to the Commissioner and let you know.

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Speaker 2: How we go. Thank you so much, Thank you appreciate

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Speaker 2: your time this morning.