Source: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists
Te Whatu Ora’s latest offer to senior doctors fails to take staffing shortages, or achieving health targets, seriously the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says as mediation between ASMS and the employer concluded at midday today.
More than 5,000 senior doctors will strike for 24 hours on Thursday May 1 as Te Whatu Ora refused to budge from their 1.5 per cent cap on total salary increases for senior medical staff.
“On an annualised basis, Te Whatu Ora’s offer would increase pay by 0.77 per cent,” ASMS executive director Sarah Dalton says.
“This will drive existing doctors away rather than help retain them, let alone attract any new senior doctors we need to fix the gaps.
“New Zealand will be short more than 3,450 senior doctors by 2032 and we are already seeing the impact of doctor shortages across the country with longer wait times in emergency departments and for first specialists’ appointments.”
In mediation Te Whatu Ora did move to address some issues, which ASMS says is a good start.
“They offered to remove the bottom three steps of the pay scale to restore relativities with junior doctors, and this would benefit approximately 500 members.
“They also suggested a recruitment and retention allowance for four districts only – coincidentally four districts where our members have been publicly sharing stories of the healthcare shortage. But they are far from the only districts facing shortages. This needs to be rolled out across the country wherever there are shortages with clear criteria.
Vacancies for SMOs across the country are running at an average of 12 per cent. But they are as high as 44 per cent in places like Tairāwhiti.
“ASMS is also still waiting for parts of the last collective settlement to implemented. There are districts where ED shift allowances are still not being paid and ASMS has taken the matter to court.”
Doctors will continue with planned strike action on May 1.
“The strike will result in planned procedures being postponed, but the same number of procedures are lost every week due to ongoing staff shortages,” Dalton says. “We need Te Whatu Ora to get up to speed and get serious.”
ASMS members are working to ensure all life preserving services will be maintained at our public hospitals during the strike.
“Senior doctors don’t want to be striking – they are striking because every day is a “may day” call in our health system right now and patients deserve better,” Dalton says.
