11am – 10 November 2016
DHBs Apply for Injunction to Delay Strike
New Zealand’s twenty District Health Boards have made an application to the Employment Court for an urgent injunction to
stop resident doctors from striking on 23 and 24 November in support of safer rosters.
• DHBs are claiming that because the recently graduated doctors who are members of NZRDA were not employees at the time
they were balloted for strike action, they cannot strike even though they will be employees when the strike takes place.
• DHBs are also claiming NZRDAs membership ballot on strike action should have been done separately for each group of
RMOs DHB.
“The decision of the DHBs to apply for an injunction is unfortunate. If successful, our strike will simply be delayed,
not stopped, and is likely to push industrial action into the busy Christmas and New Year period.” said Dr Deborah
Powell, National Secretary of the NZRDA.
“We had hoped we would have safer rosters agreed to before the graduating class of 2016 started working on the wards. We
do not want yet another year of doctors to become worn out and worn down by fatigue,” continued Dr Powell.
“It would be nice to think the upcoming strike could be avoided, not by legal action, but by settlement of the contract.
All we need is for the DHBs to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair deal.” concluded Dr Powell.
ends