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Media Statements

8 May 2007

Senior Doctors Plan Unprecedented National Stopwork Meetings Over Collective Agreement Impasse; Serious Shortages Feared

“Senior doctors are now organising unprecedented national stopwork meetings in response to the protracted impasse in our national collective agreement negotiations,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.  This decision was made by the Association’s National Executive last Friday.  At its Annual Conference last November the Association was authorised to organise stopwork meetings if the impasse continued.  Stopwork meetings are not strike action; they are an entitlement for paid two-hour meetings.  Emergency care will still be provided while the meetings are underway but routine work will cease.

“Our negotiations started over 11 months ago.  We have tried to address serious senior doctor recruitment and retention risks but have been confronted with intransigence and indifference.  After 14 days of negotiation last year and six in mediation so far this year, the impasse remains.  The DHBs have said they will make a new offer and we have scheduled further mediation.  But the DHBs track record to date suggests the impasse will continue.  Senior doctors have simply been pushed too far and treated with disdain for too long by the DHBs negotiating team.”

“New Zealand as a small geographically isolated country is vulnerable for recruiting and retaining quality senior doctors.  We are under serious threat from Australia which has significantly increased salaries for senior doctors due to its own shortages.  A first year specialist in New South Wales will receive over $29,000(A) per year more than a first year specialist in New Zealand and after seven years the gap increases to over $50,000(A).  Australia is aggressively seeking, with early signs of success, to recruit senior doctors from New Zealand and also competing against us recruiting overseas trained doctors.”

“Current senior doctor shortages can only get worse unless we break this impasse in negotiations.  These shortages seriously risk patients being denied the care and treatment from senior doctors that they deserve,” concluded Mr Powell.

Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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