X-ray strike looms over pay

Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Many patients booked for elective surgery or an outpatient visit will have their public hospital appointments postponed because of planned walkouts by the health workers who take x-rays and other medical scans.

Unionised medical radiation technologists at public hospitals plan to strike nationwide for 24 hours on Tuesday, September 7. And at the Counties Manukau District Health Board, they will also go on strike for four days from 7.30am this Thursday.

Strikes by medical radiation technologists (MRTs) are highly disruptive because x-rays and other scans are central to the diagnosis of most hospital patients' conditions.

The national strike marks a ratcheting up of the pay dispute between the Association of Professionals and Executive Employees (APEX) and district health boards.

MRTs who are members of the association have been engaged in low-level industrial action for months - things like refusing to do overtime and taking rest breaks they are entitled to.

But yesterday the management at Counties Manukau snapped and - after warning them and the association on Friday - started suspending MRTs in retaliation for the industrial action. Four were suspended for the day.

"The DHB's position is that enough is enough," Counties' general manager of medicine, Brad Healey, said. The industrial action had caused "huge disruption and delays to patient care".

Earlier this month, Auckland's three DHBs began suspending, for short periods, members of the Medical Laboratory Workers Union who have, like the MRTs, been taking low-level industrial action.

Mr Healey said that to maintain radiology services for acutely unwell and injured patients during the MRT walkouts, on the strike days all elective surgery and outpatient appointments requiring radiology - the majority - were being postponed.

APEX said its members were outraged by the Counties Manukau suspensions, which had prompted the nationwide strike notice.

Association spokeswoman Robyn Slater said: "The only reason why DHBs are suspending us is to bully MRTs into accepting an unacceptable offer. MRTs are not going to be bullied."

The association said it began bargaining with the health boards more than a year ago after six months of a "zero pay offer". Their collective agreement expired last September. Six months later, after initiating limited industrial action, they were offered a 1 per cent pay rise, with a further 1 per cent rise later this year.

Backdating to the expiry of the last agreement was not offered.

Mrs Slater said the refusal to offer backdating of the pay rise had greatly increased the tension between the parties.

The association said MRTs would maintain life-preserving services.