News
Media Statements
7 August 2007
Wairarapa and South Canterbury doctors support vote on industrial action
Senior doctors in Wairarapa and
And Wairapapa senior doctors went a step further saying that unless something was done about the crisis in recruitment and retention of hospital specialists, the healthcare of New Zealanders would suffer.
Stopwork meetings held today in Timaru and Masterton were the latest in a series held around the country over the past four weeks. The move is unprecedented by senior doctors and follows an impasse with District Health Boards over negotiations for a new employment agreement.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell says stopwork meetings in both Wairarapa and Timaru were strongly supported and senior doctors in both regions showed the strength of their concern by voting overwhelmingly in favour of all three resolutions put to them.
“They said yes to holding a postal vote of all senior doctors about whether we should take lawful industrial action. They also overwhelmingly rejected the DHBs’ current offer and condemned the DHBs’ failure to negotiate genuinely.”
Senior doctors at the Wairarapa meeting passed a further resolution saying that they urged DHBs to develop a sustainable strategy that would ensure the adequate retention of and further recruitment of senior doctors in the medical workforce.
“Wairarapa doctors said the current strategy by DHBs undermines this goal and will adversely affect the healthcare received by all New Zealanders in the future.”
Timaru senior doctors also expressed concern that in regions such as
Stopwork meetings continue tomorrow in Wanganui and Otago.
