Northland's public hospitals are gearing up for major disruption as laboratory workers walk off the job for two 48-hour strikes.
The New Zealand Medical Laboratory Workers Union, which represents lab workers, has issued strike notices over contract negotiations. Lab workers who are union members will walk off the job on October18 and 19 and on October 26 and 27.
The action is expected to cause major disruption for the Northland District Health Board (NDHB) which has postponed major operations and is warning of delays in its emergency departments.
NDHB clinical services general manager Nick Chamberlain said the action would cause medium to major disruptions and, while plans had been made, he could not say there would be no risk to patients.
Only life-preserving tests would be carried out during the strike.
"I can't say [lives won't be at risk]. Lab tests are so crucial that I can't say there won't [be a risk]," Dr Chamberlain said.
He said the strike affected all patients needing laboratory tests, so the DHB was advising people going to its emergency departments to expect delays.
NDHB chief executive and spokeswoman for the DHBs' negotiations Karen Roach said the union rejected a pay offer similar to that accepted by laboratory workers represented by the PSA.
"In addition to a 2 per cent pay rise, DHBs have offered an increase in annual leave, long service leave, on-call allowance rates and paid parental leave. Why does this group of employees think they are worth more than the rest of the sector?" she said.
Mr Raill said the workers wanted a pay scale that reflected their training.
"A lab scientist has a four-year degree. They start on $42,000 and after five years get about $51,000. Nurses, who have a three-year degree with 25 per cent less student debt, start on about $44,500 and after five years can get up to $60,000.
"The DHBs predict that over the next 15 years there will be an extra 40 million lab tests needed as the population ages. We need a salary scale that will encourage lab workers to stay in the job here to deal with that."
