Radiographers to strike again

By MARTIN JOHNSTON health reporter

Striking radiographers, in the middle of a walk-out that has disrupted central Auckland hospitals, have announced a new round of industrial action.

Their union told the Auckland District Health Board yesterday that following the four-day strike that ends tomorrow, 90 radiographers will walk out for 48 hours from November 14.

Radiographers perform x-rays and medical scans that are vital in diagnosing most hospital patients. The strike has forced the cancellation of thousands of appointments for non-urgent surgery, assessments and other procedures.

Union secretary Dr Deborah Powell, whose members want a 10.3 per cent average pay rise, said yesterday that further action was the only option, because the board had rejected arbitration and was sticking to its 2 per cent offer.

Board chief executive Graeme Edmond said the union, the Association of Professional and Executive Employees, must recognise the financial constraints on the board, which faces a $61 million deficit.

In a comment that soured relations further, he said: "We are enormously disappointed that yet again Mrs Powell and this boutique sub-union is not prepared to work out its industrial issues without issuing strike notice."

Dr Powell - a former hospital doctor - said she represented more than 6000 health workers in three unions, including junior doctors.

"We're probably the third biggest union in the health sector. Name-calling doesn't help, does it."

The board acknowledged that a striking radiographer had performed a CT scan on a patient when asked, but said the union's emergency cover was inadequate, putting patients at risk.

Hospitals reported that contingency plans were running smoothly again yesterday, day two of the strike, although North Shore Hospital's emergency department was 10 per cent busier than usual. Middlemore Hospital is also taking patients diverted because of the strike.

More than 20 people were yesterday transferred by ambulance between hospitals or taken as emergency cases to other hospitals, said St John spokesman Dr Tony Smith.

Auckland health board clinical spokesman Dr David Knight said the public had heeded the request to avoid hospital emergency departments unless in urgent need of care.

Of four public patients who received neurosurgery at the Ascot private hospital yesterday, three were transferred to Middlemore to recuperate and one to Starship Children's Hospital.

The National Party is backing the union call for arbitration. Health spokeswoman Dr Lynda Scott said the risk to patients was so great that Health Minister Annette King must intervene. The Public Health and Disability Act gave Mrs King "wide-ranging powers to direct any DHB on any issue".

Mrs King said it was possible for her to direct a board to seek arbitration, but the order would be open to challenge from the board and would be a foolish precedent to set. It would also cut across the employment-law requirement that agreements be voluntary and ratified by the parties.

"Setting such a precedent would simply send a message that DHBs could sit back and wait for a directive from the minister whenever they couldn't reach agreement on an industrial issue."

Further reading
Feature: Our sick hospitals