"We're fed up": Thousands of Victorian healthcare workers just staged their first-ever 24-hour strike

The Health Services Union voted to begin industrial action after what it says was a "disrespectful" wage offer from the state government.

Jacob Wallace
June 16, 2026

Thousands of healthcare workers from around Victoria began a 24-hour strike last night over a pay dispute with the government.

What happened: The strike action involved several branches of the Health Services Union, which voted to begin industrial action after what it says was an "insulting and disrespectful" wage offer from the Victorian government.

The union is asking for a 36.18 percent wage increase for more than 13,000 allied health professionals over three years.

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Thousands rally: Assistant Secretary for Victoria Allied Health Professional Association, Andrew Hewat, spoke to the Monitor while he was protesting on the steps of Victoria’s parliament. He said over 3,000 healthcare workers were attending the strike in Melbourne and more in towns around the state.

“We've never taken 24 hour stoppages before,” Hewat said. “Pretty much all of the allied health services in public hospitals are being impacted to some degree today.”

The healthcare staff that walked off the job included radiographers, physiotherapists, podiatrists, hospital pharmacists, psychologists, occupational therapists, medical scientists, social workers, dietitians, and sonographers.

The union clarified that urgent care staff would remain on the job during the strike action.

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Doctor Helen Jeges, who has worked in the healthcare sector in Gippsland since 2018, told the Monitor “healthcare workers are fed up with being underpaid and undervalued and we’re calling out for a fair deal”.

Jeges was seated on the bus returning from the rally, and spoke at the event. She said the current wage level was making it difficult to attract and keep healthcare professionals working in regional Victoria.

Breanne, a delegate from the Health Services Union and social worker from Traralgon who also attended the protests in Melbourne, told the Monitor healthcare workers are fed up with the poor pay.

“We all have at least a four year undergraduate degree, if not a master's degree, we’re highly qualified professionals that care for people. The fact that we're not considered worthy of a decent offer has gotten people pretty riled up.”