Report Rubbished

Waikato District Health Board has refuted a suggestion it intends having doctors and nurses emptying rubbish and serving meals if food and service and food workers go on strike next week.

The 300 Waikato service and food workers plan to take industrial action next Wednesday as part of nationwide action seeking a multi-employer collective agreement and pay rises of between $2 and $4 an hour.

A newspaper report today quoted a board memo telling doctors and nurses they would be required to serve meals and empty rubbish bins.

But general manager operational support Dr Grant Howard said non-clinical staff and volunteers would be asked to help, not doctors and nurses.

"The clinical staff are already providing a vital service and we don't want them to be deterred from that in any way."

"We urgently need other staff help to minimise the impact of this strike action on our patients," he said.

"But there's no way we'll be telling doctors and nurses they have to help out."

The work may involve meal deliveries, mail deliveries, laboratory runs, patient transfers, rubbish deliveries etc. Already a number of the board's employees have offered to help.

Both sides go into mediation on Tuesday.

ENDS