Junior doctors’ bargaining heading for mediation

Junior doctors’ bargaining heading for mediation

New Zealand’s 20 DHBs and the New Zealand Resident Doctors Association (NZRDA), which represents the 3700 Resident Medical Officers (RMOs) working and training in the DHBs, have agreed to mediation to help resolve differences they have with RMO hours of work.

Bargaining to renew the national collective agreement (MECA) for RMOs began in January with no issues between the parties on salaries and recruitment of RMOs.

The lead CEO for the 20 DHBs’ Workforce and Employment Relations Programme Julie Patterson said today that “the DHBs have over the seven months, responded to the union’s perception of fatigue caused by longer hours worked within about one third of RMO rosters.”

“For a long time RMO hours of work have been recognised internationally as a complex issue, as solutions can have the unintended consequence of limiting RMOs’ desire to access the best training opportunities.”

However, DHBs have undertaken to deal with every one of the rosters causing concern to the RMOs.

“We acknowledge there are points of difference in our approach to dealing with the concerns but the DHBs believe these differences are reconcilable,” Mrs Patterson said.

The DHBs want to engage in this change in a way that maintains quality of the current services provided to patients by RMOs whilst ensuring the RMOs have the world class training opportunities.

“The RMOs are our country’s future medical workforce so it is critical that we work with the union to find an approach which correctly balances these outcomes,” said Mrs Patterson.

Mrs Patterson says the DHBs will work with the union to begin mediation as soon as possible.

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