Third Wellington GP strike to go ahead

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate use

12 December 2018

Third Wellington GP strike to go ahead

A third Wellington GP strike is set to go ahead tomorrow as general practitioners continue to show solidarity with their dental colleagues.

Twenty-one doctors at Iwi health provider practices in Porirua, Cannons Creek, Titahi Bay and Newtown will strike tomorrow (Thursday) from 9am to 10am, the third hour-long stoppage in a rolling set of strikes. This will be followed by two further hour-long stoppages on 18 and 19 December, before a full-day strike on Christmas Eve.

A letter to the Ora Toa PHO Board written by the GPs taking the industrial action has been released today by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

The letter reveals the strength of feeling among GPs about the dentists’ exclusion from the collective agreement, ASMS Senior Industrial Officer Lloyd Woods says.

Signed by the 21 GPs taking the action, the letter urges Ora Toa to recognise the dentists’ skills and their part in the wider medical team.

“The doctors and dentists work with the same patients, and often seek advice from one another on clinical matters. They are very much a team, and while including the dentists in the agreement will not incur a significant cost, it will greatly improve morale,” Mr Woods says.

“Ora Toa PHO responded to the letter saying that it was an operational issue for management.

“But Ora Toa management have chosen not to engage constructively with the union over the issue of the exclusion of the dentists.”

Mr Woods says ASMS representatives plan to hand out pamphlets to members of the public to advise them of the Christmas Eve strike to ensure they can make alternative arrangements should they need health care.

Note: The GPs letter of 20 November 2018 is attached, with names removed to protect the privacy of the doctors.

ENDS

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