Allied Health Professionals Day was held on Wednesday, 14 October 2020. For an entire week, the Health Services Union focused on celebrating, appreciating and acknowledging the hard work that allied health professionals do.  

 
This year has brought us all the more reason to recognise allied health professionals. The COVID pandemic has shown just how vital allied health services really are. AHPs have worked day in and day out – from managing community-based rehabilitation, to the delivery of vital mental health services. Unfortunately, this day of acknowledgment and celebration comes at a time of mass wage insecurity for allied health professionals.

The NSW Berejiklian Government and the Industrial Relations Commission have only increased the wages of public sector staff by 0.3%, as opposed to the usual 2.5% adjusted for inflation. This decision has effectively imposed a pay freeze on remuneration for allied health professionals and many other frontline workers. The Government added insult to injury when they later announced that they would seek to permanently lower the wages cap to 1.5%.

The Health Services Union will fight this unfair decision on behalf of allied health professionals and all health workers. They deserve much more than 0.3%. From 12-16 October, the Health Services Union organised a range of celebrations at hospitals for allied health professionals. From Westmead to Nepean to Royal North Shore, allied health professionals over a range of local health districts saw acknowledgments of their work.  

Thank you to all allied health workers. Your work does not go unnoticed.