Radiographers' industrial action continues

Radiographers, who have been taking action at District Health Boards across the country since late February over a 3 percent pay claim, are planning further strike action with talks having reached a stalemate, their union says.

Employees are seeking the pay increase, which union Apex (the Association of Professionals and Executive Employees) calls a cost of living increase.

Last June, Taranaki DHB settled a 3 percent pay increase, but union members at 20 other DHBs were taking industrial action in different ways at different hospitals.

Action would intensify and escalate following about a year's negotiations over a national collective employment agreement, Apex head Deborah Powell told NZPA.

Lakes and Waikato DHBs are preparing for strike action by medication radiation technologists (MRTs) starting next week, and continuing after Easter.

The 23 Lakes DHB radiographers, who are involved in diagnostic services such as x-rays, CT and MRI scans and ultrasound, will go on strike between 4.30pm or 5pm and 8am, from Monday to Thursday, at Rotorua and Taupo hospitals. Another strike was planned for Saturday and Sunday.

Members would also work to a set criteria next week.

Some elective, or planned surgery could be postponed over the first four days of action.

Lakes DHB asked patients for understanding over the strike period, and visit their GP rather than go to the hospitals' emergency departments unless necessary.

DHBs had turned down the union's proposal for an alternative bargaining process, involving mediation, and now the two sides were at a stalemate, Ms Powell said.

"The DHBs have effectively imposed a wage freeze -- their offer started at zero and hasn't moved since. We believe that's unfair -- our productivity's increased between 10 and 15 percent.

"The DHBs got a 3.2 percent increase in funding and we believe it should be passed on to us," she said.

Radiographers' salaries started at about $40,000 a year, she said.

"The DHBs' own costing of our claim is that it would cost $3.9 million nationally to settle it, and the claim is for 3 percent."

However, DHBs spokesman and Bay of Plenty DHB chief executive Phil Cammish said the wage range for an MRT who worked 40 hours a week was $46,306 to $63,148 per annum, excluding other allowances and entitlements.

"MRTs are a valued group of health workers and DHBs are keen to get agreement on a collective agreement we can all live with. Any wage growth in the period ahead will have to be affordable," Mr Cammish said.

MRTs received a 3 percent wage increase in March 2009, he said, and current union claims would increase DHBs' wage and salary bills for MRTs by 15 percent over one year. Ms Powell disputed that claim.

Staff covered by the agreement include medical radiation technologists, darkroom technicians, radiology clinical assistants, student medical radiation technologists, sonographers and student/ trainee sonographers, The DHBs employed 864 full time equivalent workers, union and non-union members.

Different services would be affected in different ways at each hospital, Mr Cammish said.