Strike aids Myanmar

By Andr? Hueber
Striking junior doctors in Whangarei took to the streets yesterday, not to protest - but to raise funds for cyclone-hit Myanmar, as part of world Red Cross day.
First-year doctor Sara Stantiall said she decided to do something productive rather than sit around for the day so thought she'd help out in the collection in the central business district.
"I heard junior doctors in Rotorua were seeking donations and thought we could do the same up here," Ms Stantiall said.
She didn't think the tide of public opinion was turning against junior doctors, who have now been on strike for four days in the last two weeks.
"Television has painted a more unsupportive picture for us than other media. Letters to the editor show very different opinions," Ms Stantiall said.
She said junior doctors had hit rock-bottom and striking was a last resort.
"Pay rates overseas are far greater than what we get here.
"We'd like to support New Zealand but it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify staying."
She said locums covering the striking doctors were being paid three times as much and received overtime and increased rates for weekends and nights.
"On top of that they're being paid money towards accommodation and travel allowances, all of which we don't get a penny for."
She said consultants were covering them at night and getting paid up to $500 an hour.
"If all the money being wasted on fill-in positions was put into a wage increase for junior doctors, the problems could be resolved."
She said junior doctors don't enjoy striking.
"When we go to work tomorrow we'll be there till 10 o'clock at night trying to catch up on all the work we've missed. It's not productive for patients."
She said hospitals were coping without them though, but at the cost of almost half their services
Another junior doctor on strike, Linda Moore, said she knew of a locum who was getting paid $100 an hour for a job she gets $23 an hour for.
"While our annual salary doesn't look too bad, you have to remember we don't work a 40-hour week. It's more like double that, and we don't get any overtime," Ms Moore said.
Ms Stantiall said it wasn't true that junior doctors have asked for a bigger pay increase than senior doctors.
"They got a $10,000 lump sum to start with, as well as a host of other perks. If you take that into account, we're asking for the same."
She said District Health Boards needed to boost salaries to rates comparable with other countries or face losing more doctors.