District health boards are ending the year with a flurry of
industrial negotiations involving more than 43,000 employees.
About 3700 senior doctors employed by the 20 boards around
the country are considering the proposed settlement of their
agreement, which would see the largest increases go to those
on the bottom of the specialists' and medical and dental
officers' salary scales because the bottom three steps are
being removed.
Increases range from 2.8% to 12.4%, but the average increase
is 3% to 3.3%.
The district health boards did not want to comment on the
detail of that offer while it was still subject to
consideration by members of the Association of Salaried
Medical Specialists (ASMS).
Boards said they were pleased to have reached an agreement
which responded to some shared interests and reflected the
parties' wishes to work jointly to improve patient safety and
service quality.
Concerns raised by the ASMS about "unhelpful
behind-the-scenes involvement" of Health Minister Tony Ryall
in the long-running talks, which it suggested came from
district health board sources, were not shared by the boards'
employment relations strategy group.
DHB spokesman Graham Dyer said it was normal practice for
state sector employers to keep government ministers updated
as significant pay negotiations proceeded.
After the managed bargaining process, which involved 10
health unions earlier this year - including some of the major
ones - the agreement with the Service and Food Workers' Union
for 1300 cleaners and service workers has been ratified.
This provided for a 2% lump-sum payment, a further 2.5%
increase in wage rates from October next year and the
introduction of a common entitlement to a fifth week's annual
leave after five years' service.
Settlements of 16 agreements with the Public Service
Association were being considered by union members covering
more than 17,000 employees.
These were also based on the outcomes of the managed
bargaining process, Mr Dyer said.
Settlements of a further 26 agreements with general unions,
based on managed bargaining and covering several hundred
employees, were also under consideration.
Bargaining was continuing with the New Zealand Nurses'
Organisation, involving about 20,500 employees. Nurses had
rejected the outcome of the managed bargaining process.
The Association of Professional and Executive Employees
(Apex) medical radiation technologists (850), and the Medical
Laboratory Workers' Union (1000) have also entered
negotiations.
Mr Dyer said the boards considered these negotiations were
proceeding positively.
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