Radiographers strike hits thousands of patients

Public hospitals have started sending letters to thousands of patients cancelling operations and outpatient appointments before next week's strike by radiographers.

The pay dispute deepened last night after talks broke down over contingency planning on union members helping to maintain life-saving services during the strike.

These talks are a new provision in employment law, introduced at the request of district health boards after the last radiographers' strike in 2002.

About 400 radiographers intend to strike for five days from Monday at nine health boards from Northland to Nelson.

Those at Counties Manukau, part of a different union, plan to strike for five hours on Tuesday in a separate action.

Hospitals will continue to treat acutely unwell or injured patients, but are significantly reducing or even closing elective (non-urgent) surgery and outpatient clinics before or during the strike to minimise patient numbers.

Auckland City Hospital said it was "effectively shutting most of the hospital and [Green Lane] clinical centre down".

"We will be able to provide emergency cover for life-preserving services such as emergency departments and intensive care but the strike will have a severe impact on all other services," said the hospital's medical director of adult services, Dr Margaret Wilsher.

The Association of Professional and Executive Employees (Apex) and the boards have failed to agree on what kind of health worker should be the adjudicator on the contingency plans to maintain life-preserving services.

The person would effectively be deciding when union members should work during the strike.

The boards say they want a senior doctor. Apex wants a radiologist.

The boards last night asked the Employment Relations Authority to make an urgent ruling on the matter.

Their spokesman, Chris Clarke, the Hawkes Bay board's chief executive, said that unlike a radiographer, a senior doctor had the overview of the patients' clinical needs.

He said the union was "frustrating the process" and "using delaying tactics to string us along", while the boards were negotiating in good faith.

Apex secretary Deborah Powell rejected Mr Clarke's comments.

She said a radiologist was a senior doctor who knew exactly what radiology procedures were needed.

"We proposed them on March 15 and the DHBs didn't object back then; it's just suddenly arisen.

"If anyone has been tardy in this process it's the DHBs ... We have got agreement with most DHBs [on contingency planning]. We expect to wrap up the remaining few [this morning]. We just ran out of time."

Dr Powell said the strike was proceeding because the boards had not made an offer to settle the collective agreement - a point denied by Mr Clarke.

She said the boards' complaints about contingency planning were a "smoke screen" because they wanted someone to blame for the strike.

The dispute

The radiographers' minimum base salaries vary between $30,000 and $35,000. The Association of Professional and Executive Employees (Apex) wants this to rise to about $40,000 and an increase for experienced staff.

Radiographers operate machines that take medical images: x-rays, mammograms and CT and MRI scans.

Radiation therapists, who treat cancer, are not involved in the strikes.

Information line

Hospitals affected by the strike plans have set up or are about to set up special phone lines to provide information for patients whose appointments are postponed.

Auckland City: 0800 555-355.

Waikato Hospital: 0800 276-216.