“Senior Doctors Come Up To Unwanted Anniversary”

Tuesday 27 April 2004

“Senior Doctors Come Up To Unwanted Anniversary”

“Senior doctors are coming up to an unwanted anniversary, a year after the commencement of their national collective agreement negotiations with district health boards,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. The negotiations commenced on 29 April 2003 and resume on 28 April 2004.

“The negotiations have gone through difficult times over the past year, including twice verging on collapse and a strong public attack on senior doctors by health bosses in denial mode over the serious recruitment and shortage problem in New Zealand.”

“On 2 April we gave the district health boards a new proposal riddled with compromises in order to bridge the gap between us. Tomorrow we expect their reply. Until now their position has been ‘take-it-or-leave-it’.”

“This is the kind of anniversary one has when one is not having an anniversary unless of course, health bosses wish to give senior doctors a well deserved present,” concluded Mr Powell.

ENDS

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