ATTENTION: HEALTH REPORTER NO. OF PAGES: 1
MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
FRIDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2002
“South Canterbury Senior Doctors Propose Arbitration As Alternative For Strike Action”
“Senior doctors would prefer that the breakdown in collective agreement negotiations with the South Canterbury District
Health Board was referred to independent arbitration rather than being compelled to take strike action,” said Mr Ian
Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.
“Our stopwork meeting earlier this month authorised us to develop a strike action proposal if there was no other option.
But the clear preference was to see the dispute resolved by arbitration if possible. However, we can only go to
arbitration if the South Canterbury DHB agrees. We have written to the DHB recommending this approach.”
“We will be meeting management next Wednesday 27 November with a mediator in yet another attempt to resolve the dispute
which is largely about the onerous after-hours emergency rosters that senior doctors are forced to work with minimal
staffing support.”
“If we can’t resolve it by mediation then independent arbitration would be a much better and more responsible option
than strike action,” concluded Mr Powell.
Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR