9.30 am
Health officials will today put a new pay offer to striking radiation therapists in Auckland, Waikato and Palmerston North.
The 91 therapists are halfway through a 48-hour strike due to finish tomorrow and plan further action in mid-December.
A handful of management therapists at Auckland and Waikato treated several mostly acute
patients yesterday, while Palmerston North closed its service.
More than 160 patients considered less urgent have had their treatment delayed.
Auckland District Health Board chief operating officer Neil Woodhams said managers from the three district health boards hoped to put new proposals to the therapists' union today.
"We'll be looking at trying to meet some of the union's demands ... in increasing the starting rate for radiation therapists," he told National Radio.
The Association of Professional and Executive Salaried Therapists (Apex) wants rises of 20 to 25 per cent to help stem the flow of staff overseas which is causing serious treatment delays for New Zealand patients.
The hospitals say they are offering increases of 14 to 21 per cent over two years, but the union says this includes automatic annual increments already in the expired contract plus offers made to individuals.
Apex says Auckland and Palmerston North are offering increases of 3 percent on base rates now and again next year, while Waikato's offer is higher because it will bring its staff up to the same level as those at the other two hospitals.
The union's national secretary, Deborah Powell, today said she had not seen the new offer and did not want to prejudge it but was not hopeful.
"(It's) pretty much what they said with the last offer they made ... on November 3 and at that point they did increase the starting salary by 3 per cent but it simply wasn't enough," she said on radio.
She believed it was time for the Government to step in.
"If the district health boards don't have the money then they need to be given it and if they do have the money then Government needs to direct them to spend it."
The money it was using to send cancer patients to Australia for treatment in a bid to cut waiting lists could be better spent, she said.
"The last 40 patients that were approved to go were going to cost $40-odd-million out of the Auckland region. Our claim is only $400,000 to actually sort the problem out once and for all."
The union has said its members are receiving unsolicited job offers from cancer units in Australia and Canada, where starting pay rates range from $47,000 to $70,000.
It wants a base starting salary of $40,000 compared with the current $32,000 in Hamilton, $34,000 in Palmerston North and $35,000 in Auckland.
Cancer Society medical director Peter Dady today called for a public inquiry into radiation therapists' salaries.
"If you want knowledge and you need knowledge in health, you've got to pay for it," he said on radio.
The shortage of radiation therapists was at a "scandalous" level and was going to get worse.
Ms Powell welcomed the call for an inquiry.
Therapists in Auckland and Palmerston North are due to strike again from December 14 to 19.
Those in Hamilton will refuse to work overtime or be called back for extra shifts from 5pm on December 14 to 5pm on December 21.
- NZPA
9.30 am
Health officials will today put a new pay offer to striking radiation therapists in Auckland, Waikato and Palmerston North.
The 91 therapists are halfway through a 48-hour strike due to finish tomorrow and plan further action in mid-December.
A handful of management therapists at Auckland and Waikato treated several mostly acute
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