Offer not ‘significant’: junior doctors

The junior doctors’ union has rejected a claim from DHBs that a new pay offer constitutes a significant concession in a sign the increasingly frosty dispute is no closer to being resolved.

The New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association said it was putting the new offer to members and would make no further comment until Monday.

Earlier this week, the union denied rumours that strike action was planned but admitted it was informally canvassing members about their willingness to strike.

A spokesman for the DHBs’ negotiating group told the Otago Daily Times yesterday that in the new offer DHBs were prepared to limit consecutive night shifts to four.

At present, junior doctors work up to seven nights in a row.

But DHBs had not budged on rosters that see junior doctors working 12 days in a row.

That would be too expensive, and could affect training.

It would mean finding part-time doctors to work two days a week, the spokesman said.

Junior doctors were seeking a "long weekend every second weekend", he said.

The night shift concession was a "significant move".

"We’d be disappointed if they reject [the offer] out of hand."

The junior doctors’ union launched a public campaign centred on clinician and patient safety in respect of 12-day rosters, which angered DHBs.

Yesterday NZRDA national secretary Deborah Powell said the DHBs’ new offer was not a significant shift, and DHBs expected junior doctors to pay for the concession "albeit through different means".

"They have also made no further offer on the 12 days in a row other than a ‘commitment to address’."

"Given we have had a commitment from the DHBs to work back to a maximum of 60 hours a week for some years now and still struggle on these rosters with 72-plus hours a week, experience has taught us that a commitment is meaningless," Dr Powell said.

Earlier this week, Dr Powell released a statement saying the union was not balloting for strike action, but was "gathering feedback" on members’ preparedness for strike action.

"Tensions are rising with the DHBs continuing to delay progress, adjourning mediation last week to take yet another two weeks to consider their position," Dr Powell said.

eileen.goodwin@odt.co.nz