Dear Member,

On Tuesday, 23 January 2023, more than 60 members attended a meeting at RPA Hospital to discuss the proposed reintroduction of parking fees. The new rates are expected to come into effect from February 2024. Major concerns were raised around the extreme increases to the parking fees and the timing of the announcement being over the festive season.

Key point discussed were:

• Staff with a parking permit will be required to pay $27.20 per week. Fees were $46.00 per fortnight prior to the covid pandemic. This is an increase of roughly $8.20 a week or $426.40 a year.
• Staff on the waiting list for a permit have not had to pay for parking during the covid pandemic and $8 a day before. They are now expected to pay $23.20 per day, an increase of almost 300 per cent. Many members at the meeting were impacted by this.
• There has been limited to no movement for those on the waiting list. Many attendees confirmed they had been waiting years for a parking permit.
• The meeting discussed suggestions to mitigate the financial impact the announcement brings to HSU members at RPA, as well as passing a resolution to commence discussions with RPAH in the efforts to reach a reasonable outcome.

It was also resolved that a petition would be circulated to oppose the proposal. You can sign it HERE. Please share with all your colleagues to expand its reach.

If this is unsuccessful, the resolution also listed a range of collective action escalations if the RPAH Executive do not reasonably address HSU members concerns over car parking fees.

This issue impacts all RPAH staff and can only be resolved fairly if we work together as HSU members. If you know someone who is not a member of the HSU, encourage them to join today.

 New members can join at www.hsu.asn.au/join or call 1300 478 679.