Nurses at the exclusive Matilda Hospital claim they are being fired for fighting a legal battle over changes to their working conditions.
Two of five nurses who sought legal recourse over alleged breaches of contract have been dismissed, although the hospital says their dismissal is coincidental.
One of them, Jeffrey Morris, says management told him seven days before he was due to lodge unprecedented court action against the hospital that they could no longer afford his services.
The New Zealander says he was ordered not to speak to other staff and that security guards accompanied him to his nursing quarters and packers prepared his possessions the next day for shipment home.
An estimated 250 other staff were handed new contracts last week to 'eliminate ambiguities' in the disputed contract. Staff have been given until today to sign or face dismissal.
In a letter seen by the Post, chief executive officer Mary Rafferty says changes, which include a two-week cut in annual leave, were 'crucial to the survival of the hospital' and brought 'outdated' benefits in line with other hospitals.
