Talks to avert hospitals strike start

Both sides said they were hopeful of preventing proposed strike by radiation technologists at hospitals as they returned to the negotiating table today.

Medical radiation technologists represented by their union, Apex, are threatening to strike for four days starting on Monday in support of pay claims.

Nine district health boards are affected by the proposed strike, and hospitals have begun postponing operations and outpatient services in preparation for the strike.

Spokesman for the boards, Hawke's Bay chief executive Chris Clarke, told National Radio today the top priority was to avoid strike action.

"If we can get a settlement before the strike takes place that would be absolutely wonderful, that's what we're all working towards," he said.

"We had an encouraging conversation last night with the union, so I believe we are making progress, I wish it was faster, however, than it has been to date."

Apex national secretary Deborah Powell told National Radio it would take a genuine contract settlement offer from the DHBs to stop the strike.

But Mr Clarke said the DHBs believed they had made a genuine offer.

"We also believe this has moved beyond being a game," he said.

Meanwhile, the DHBs had requested a hearing at the Employment Relations Authority on the issue of contingency planning for the strike. At issue is whether a radiologist or another type of doctor specialising in emergency situations should decide what a life-preserving situation is.

Ms Powell said the union was surprised by the move.

"We've been working through the contingency planning for life-preserving services over the last few days with the DHBs," she said.

"We have agreement with most of the DHBs already and why on earth the DHBs went to the Employment Relations Authority is a bit of a mystery to us."

Ms Powell said they had given all the DHBs a level of cover and had also agreed to have people on back-up to be called in if needed.

Mr Clarke said the DHBs had taken the step of going to the authority because progress on contingency planning had been too slow.

"We don't want to escalate this. The first thing we want is to avoid the strike, secondly we want a settlement but above all we have got to make sure that our hospitals are safe places next week, and that's what's driving chief executives taking the action we've taken."

The parties are meeting this morning and Mr Clarke said it was his "fervent hope" an agreement could be reached and the strike would not go ahead.

- NZPA