Tasmanian mine workers to back community campaign for local hospital

AWU mine workers in Tasmania are lending their voices to a State campaign to re-establish the Rosebery Hospital.

" Mine workers are angry that health services are to be downgraded on the West Coast," Ian Wakefield, AWU Tasmania Branch Secretary, said.

" The union has held meetings of West Coast mine workers who have resolved to launch a campaign for the retention of services on the West Coast.

• Take a stand for safe mining jobs - join the AWU today

" The nearly two hour drive to Burnie Hospital, across sometimes hazardous and treacherous roads which in winter can be snowed-in, is not a satisfactory alternative either for the miners who need hospital help , or their families who want to be close to loved ones.

" In this part of rocky Tasmania we don't have the highways and freeways which would ensure speedy and safe ambulance trips to Burnie.

"That's why the 300-plus workers at the Rosebery Mine have reacted angrily to the Federal Government's advice last week to the West Coast Council that the funding promised by the Howard Government for the hospital would now be redirected to the State Government's Tasmania Health Plan." " AWU members are angry and feel betrayed by the downgrading of services on the West Coast and are determined to campaign for facilities to be maintained and the Rosebery Hospital to be restored to 24 hour operation with beds for the local community.

" The Rosebery Hospital represents a test of the Rudd Government's action on co-operative federalism to be applied to benefit an isolated community without the traditional blame game between Federal and State Government's," Ian Wakefield said.