“South Canterbury Senior Doctors Plan Half-Day Strikes”

“Senior doctors at Timaru Hospital are to develop a strike action plan based on half-day strikes,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. Mr Powell was reporting the decision made at the stopwork meeting yesterday of senior doctors employed by the South Canterbury District Health Board that was attended by 100% of those able to attend.

“This strike plan is based on a virtually unanimous vote of senior doctors at the stopwork meeting. It will not include emergency cover which will continue to be provided and will not require the transfer of patients outside Timaru. The strike plan will also be subject to the approval of senior doctors in a secret ballot.”

“The main issue of contention is the failure of senior management to recognise and fairly compensate the heavy work pressures that senior doctors face on a daily basis particularly when on emergency after-hours call rosters with minimal staff support.”

“We continue to hope that senior management will make a serious attempt to address this issue. They will have another opportunity when mediation resumes for a third time on 27 November,” concluded Mr Powell.

© Scoop Media