MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
MONDAY 22 DECEMBER 2003
DHB Collective Agreement Proposal Referred To Ballot Of Senior Doctors
''A proposal from the 21 district health boards to settle the protracted senior doctor national collective agreement
negotiations that commenced in late April has been referred to a secret postal ballot of senior doctors,'' said Mr Ian
Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. The deadline for the ballot is 4
February.
“The proposal from the DHBs is poor and the Association is recommending that it be rejected. The DHBs are being
unrealistic with a proposal that offers minimal advances for periods of time that range between 27 to 40 months, fails
to significantly reduce the disparities in employment conditions between DHBs, fails to address recruitment and
retention pressure in an internationally competitive employment market, and would mean a loss of some current
entitlements for many senior doctors.”
“The negotiations are going through a difficult stage. They nearly collapsed in August but this was averted by the
involvement in mediation. Meanwhile senior doctors employed by the Northland DHB have voted not to join the negotiations
in response to these difficulties. Northland was the last of the 21 DHB-based votes on whether or not to join the
negotiations (the other 20 voted to join).”
“These difficult negotiations have now reached the point when the ‘rubber hits the road’. If senior doctors vote to
reject the DHBs’ proposal then mediation will resume in February,” concluded Mr Powell.
Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR