Trade union E tū says that Allied Security and the Waikato DHB failed in their duty to protect a hospital security guard who tried to protect nursing staff.
The security guard suffered serious injuries during an assault at Waikato Hospital early Wednesday morning and remains in Waikato Hospital's high-dependency unit.
E tū Waikato senior organiser, Iriaka Rauhihi, who has visited the member, says she’s in a bad way and the union is providing support for her and her family.
"She's suffered severely, with multiple injuries to her head, face and body, and will require multiple surgeries. It'll be a long road to recovery and we’re lucky we’re not dealing with a fatality," she said in a statement.
The family of the security guard are said to be extremely horrified by what’s happened and are 'shattered and frightened'.
The family are eager to know why she was injured and why she was not safe.
The guard is employed by DHB security contractor, Allied Security which Ms Rauhihi says has consistently failed in its obligation to protect its security guards from harm.
"Our members tell us they're really tired, over-worked and fed-up. It's about this employer not putting in the resources and staffing to keep people safe, especially in high-risk areas like Henry Bennett and the Emergency Department.
"We're calling on the DHB to intervene to ensure the contractor is keeping its workers safe, because at the moment the guards don't feel safe. They feel overworked and at risk."
Ms Rauhihi says the Health Sector Relationships Agreement requires Allied to work constructively on issues such as safety, but "Allied doesn’t think it has to be part of it."
Allied Security Waikato was contacted by 1 NEWS but declined to comment.
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