"We get punched, bitten, kicked, spat at - it happens all the time."
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That can be a day in the life for Griffith Base Hospital staff like security officer Chris Jennings, who was one of the workers who went on strike to demand the government to deliver better safety measures.
Dozens of Griffith hospital workers from the Health Services Union, which is demanding more security staff, better equipment, and stronger legal protections.
It's a deeply person cause for Mr Jennings, who was attacked by a mental health patient so badly that he had to take six months off work last year.
He's not alone: Jack Watson said he's been assaulted repeatedly while on the job, and that the attacks only get worse every year.
"Enough is enough: we are fed up with the rise in violence in our hospitals," Mr Watson said.
"The government needs to be more proactive when it comes to healthcare workers and violence within our hospitals."
He said on one occasion he had to wrestle a patient all around the emergency ward, and ended up covered in blood in the process.
Mr Watson said if the hospital had more security staff on hand, that incident could have been resolved much more quickly and safely.
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Mr Watson is also demanding more legal protections for security officers.
"Health and security assistants are being stood down and having their employment terminated for doing what they are employed to do, which is to protect people and property," Mr Watson said.
Health Services Union organiser Tracey Gaddelin said the spate of violent attacks was a "crisis" that needed to be addressed immediately.
"With the mounting issues of mental health and the ice epidemic in this area, it means the staff and patients are at risk and we need proper resources so they can do their jobs," Mrs Gaddelin said. "Our staff are being attacked and ending up as a patient just because they did their job."
Griffith Base Hospital was just one of the workplaces that went on strike on Thursday; over forty hospitals took part of the strike, which was part of a coordinated effort around NSW.
It was the first time the union had carried out state-wide action in 108 years.
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
