Senior doctors hold stopwork meetings

Media release

Senior doctors hold stopwork meetings around country

For the first time ever, senior doctors around the country will be holding stopwork meetings after a year of unsuccessful negotiations over pay and conditions.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Ian Powell says the issue needs resolving.

“Our hospital system is creaking at the seams because of problems over recruiting and retaining senior doctors who are crucial to providing these services,” says Ian Powell.

He says there is fierce international competition for senior doctors and we have to be competitive. At a bare minimum New Zealand salaries are currently about A$30,000 behind Australia for a first year specialist increasing to a bare minimum of A$50,000 after seven years.

“Senior doctors are seeing Australia as an increasingly attractive place. An Australian hospital recently offered one of our members twice as much as he currently makes in New Zealand plus housing, a car and a cellphone. As well he was offered every fourth week off in addition to annual leave, flights home to New Zealand and funding for continuing medical education.”

Ian Powell says ASMS, the senior doctors’ union, has tried to work through the issues responsibly with the DHBs. The 26 stopwork meetings around the country will give members the opportunity to discuss the next step.

“The negotiations have been very difficult and for the first time ever we have seen the need to hold stopwork meetings to discuss where to go from here. We have taken this decision very reluctantly but it is the only action left to us.”

Ian Powell says that the union has deliberately given the DHBs much more notice of the meetings than legally required so they can make minimise inconvenience to patients.

“Ensuring patient safety is essential to our members and our members will continue to provide acute and emergency cover during the two hour meetings.”

ASMS is asking for a two year agreement with a salary rise of 6-7 percent in the first year and half of that in the second year. It also wants an increase in expenses for senior doctors’ continuing education and an increase in the pay rates for on-call work.

“Our claims are modest and fair. To put them in perspective, DHB Chief Executives’ salaries on average have increased by 4.12 percent, 7.12 percent and 6.9 percent in the three years from 2003 to 2006,” says Ian Powell

The DHBs are offering a 46-month agreement, with an annualised increase of around 3.8%.

“That is not sufficient to recruit and retain staff and we are concerned about the impact on our hospitals if we can’t get and keep quality senior doctors,” says Ian Powell

ENDS

Note: Attached is a list of stopwork meetings being held around the country. Further information is available on www.asms.org.nz

Schedule of Stopwork Meetings

DHB
Date and time

Auckland DHB
Monday 6 August
1.30pm

Bay of Plenty DHB
Tauranga:
Friday 20 July
10am
Whakatane:
Thursday 9 August
9am

Canterbury DHB
Ashburton:
Thursday 26 July
10am
Christchurch:
Thursday 2 August
1pm

Capital & Coast DHB
Wednesday 25 July
10am

Counties Manukau DHB
Tuesday 24 July
1.30pm

Hawke's Bay DHB
Friday 27 July
2pm

Hutt Valley DHB
Monday 23 July
1.30pm

Lakes DHB
Thursday 9 August
2pm

MidCentral DHB
Friday 3 August
10am

Nelson Marlborough DHB
Nelson:
Wednesday 1 August
9am
Blenheim:
Thursday 2 August
10am

Northland DHB
Thursday 19 July
9.30am

Otago DHB
Wednesday 8 August
10am

South Canterbury DHB
Tuesday 7 August
1.30pm

Southland DHB
Thursday 26 July
1.30pm

Tairawhiti DHB
Wednesday 18 July
9am

Taranaki DHB
Tuesday 31 July
1.30pm

Waikato DHB
Monday 30 July
9am

Wairarapa DHB
Tuesday 7 August
12.30pm

Waitemata DHB
North Shore:
Tuesday 17 July
9am
Waitakere:
Tuesday 17 July
2pm

West Coast DHB
Greymouth:
Friday 27 July
1pm
Buller:
Tuesday 31 July
10am

Whanganui DHB
Wednesday 8 August
9am

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Media Backgrounder – Senior doctor stopwork meetings

Why are the stopwork meetings being held?

We are taking this action very reluctantly but we feel it is the only course of action after negotiating unsuccessfully with DHBs for the past year. It is the first time that members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) have held national stop-work meetings. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss with senior doctors in their workplace what further action should be taken to overcome the impasse in the negotiations.

What impact will the stopwork meetings have on patients?

We have deliberately given much more notice of the meetings than legally required to enable the DHBs to make arrangements which will minimise inconvenience to patients. Ensuring patient safety is essential to our members and they will continue to provide acute and emergency cover during the two hour meetings.

What is this dispute all about?

New Zealand is struggling to recruit and retain quality senior doctors – and these are the doctors that hospital services are built around. These are the doctors who lead hospital teams, who supervise junior doctors and provide a range of specialist services. Senior doctors are seeing Australia as an increasingly attractive place to work. An Australian hospital recently offered a New Zealand specialist twice as much as he currently makes herein New Zealand plus housing, a car and a cellphone. As well he was offered every fourth week off in addition to annual leave, flights home to New Zealand and funding for continuing medical education.

What are you asking for?

We are asking for a two year agreement with a salary rise of 6-7 percent in the first year and half of that in the second year. We also want an increase in expenses for senior doctors’ continuing education and an increase in the pay rates for on-call work. We also want to strengthen involvement in decision-making.

Our claims are modest and fair. To put them in perspective, DHB Chief Executives’ salaries on average have increased by 4.12 percent, 7.12 percent and 6.9 percent each year from 2003 to 2006.

What are they offering?

The DHBs are offering an agreement stretching over 46 months, with an annualised increase of around 3.8 percent. A freeze on negotiations for four years would just increase the recruitment and retention problem facing New Zealand and the increase offered would not be sufficient to keep specialists in the country. We are concerned about the impact on our hospitals.
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Stopwork media backgrounder/2

Will you take industrial action?

The national stopwork meetings are being held to discuss what actions our members want and that might include a postal ballot on industrial action.

Isn’t it unusual for doctors to take this action?

Our hospital system is under great threat and we are concerned for our patients. We have tried to work through the issues responsibly with the DHBs The negotiations have been very difficult and for the first time ever we have seen the need to hold national stopwork meetings to discuss where to go from here. This is an action we have taken very reluctantly but it is the only action left to us after exhausting every other avenue including mediation.

Who is involved?

All members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists who are employed directly by the DHBs can attend the stopwork meetings

Where and when are the meetings being held?

An up-to-date list of the dates and times of the meetings can be found at www.asms.org.nz

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