1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,280 Speaker 1: So the Health Minister today will make one last pitch 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:04,520 Speaker 1: to senior doctors to stop the strike. They've rejected one 3 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty million dollar offer. As a result, sixty 4 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: three hundred elective procedures will be canceled, twelve six hundred 5 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: specialist assessments delayed. So me and Browns with us morning. 6 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 2: Good morning, MIKEE. 7 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: So four separate strikes this year. How much of it 8 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: do you think is a real case, a heartfelt case 9 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: that they feel hard done by, versus the union's just 10 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: don't like a national government. 11 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 2: My view is this is politics over patients. The Union 12 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 2: is deciding that they are going to disrupt the care 13 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,919 Speaker 2: of patients in order to make their point, rather than 14 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 2: actually to sit down and negotiate through an offer. We've 15 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 2: put offer after offer on the table. There's been facilitation. 16 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 2: I've written to the Union and Health New Zealand requesting 17 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: both parties to enter into binding arbitration so that an 18 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 2: independent third party can make a decision, and the Union 19 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 2: rejected that offer as well. So my view, this is 20 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: politics over patients, and ultimately patients are the ones losing out. 21 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 2: And that's my message that I'm going to be providing 22 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 2: very clearly to the union today and saying call off 23 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 2: the strike and let's actually work through this as adults 24 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 2: rather than simply cancel care for thousands of patients. 25 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: Do you think you should change the law and binding 26 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 1: arbitration compulsory after receipt period of steps that don't work well. 27 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 2: I think that's something we need to consider because clearly 28 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 2: what we're seeing here is a union that isn't actually 29 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 2: willing to sit down and actually work these things through. 30 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 2: And even though we've put that offer on the table 31 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 2: for them to voluntarily enter into binding arbitration, they've rejected that, 32 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 2: which clearly, in my opinion, shows that they're playing politics 33 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 2: here rather than actually being serious and trying to find 34 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 2: a way through it. In my view, it's unethical for 35 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 2: senior doctors the union, for the Senior Doctor's Union to 36 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 2: be to be striking that the unions represents thousands of 37 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 2: doctors who have a critical role in providing healthcare for 38 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 2: New Zealanders, and they are leaders in our health care 39 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 2: space and they should be showing leadership rather than playing 40 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 2: politics with patients' lives. There's many challenges and issues in 41 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 2: our health care system. We should work those through around 42 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 2: the table rather than canceling care for patients, and ultimately 43 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 2: it's patients who are losing out here. 44 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: Count to your line, one of your lines in your speech. 45 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:21,959 Speaker 1: Rights come with responsibilities, and right now the strike is 46 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: a choice, not a necessity. When would it be a necessity? 47 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: I mean necessity is it? Well? 48 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 2: I think when it comes to our seeing you know 49 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:36,119 Speaker 2: that this union and the members it represents, ultimately these 50 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 2: issues should be resolved around the bargaining table. There may 51 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 2: well be circumstances, but my point here is they have 52 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,519 Speaker 2: had offer after offer, They've had the opportunity of binding arbitration. 53 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 2: They've rejected everything along the way. In fact, the last strike, 54 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 2: they rejected the offer and started balloting their members on 55 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 2: exactly the same day to go for another strike. That 56 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 2: does not show good faith. That just showed playing politics 57 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 2: with patients' lives. And there are too many people waiting 58 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 2: on these waiting lists. We've seen good progress getting those 59 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 2: waiting lists down, but if this type of behavior continues, 60 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 2: this union will be responsible for those waiting lists increasing. 61 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: Again, how confident are you with the numbers? You keep 62 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: quoting the three hundred and forty three thousand, five hundred 63 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: plus the six weeks and you'll leave, plus the paid 64 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,359 Speaker 1: conference leave, plus access to the fully paid three months 65 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: ofb BAT callebrity, six years, five percent base increase over 66 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: the sixteen months, additional automatic annual steps increase. How confident 67 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: are you on those numbers, because every time you raise 68 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 1: them people say you're making it up. 69 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 2: Well, that's all on advice from Health New Zealand. The 70 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 2: average earnings of including overtime and allowances for members of 71 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 2: the ASMS union is three hundred forty three five hundred dollars. 72 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 2: In their contractual terms, they get six weeks and you'll 73 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 2: leave every six years. They get a three month sabbatical 74 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 2: which equates effectively another two weeks and you'll leave per year. 75 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 2: They get other allowances for conferences, time to go to conferences, 76 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 2: which I think I think is another two weeks per year. 77 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 2: So there is a significant generosity in the terms and 78 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 2: conditions in the contract here. And ultimately what we're saying 79 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 2: here is to the union put patients first, let's deal 80 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 2: with these issues the right way, and today really is 81 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 2: their last chance to cancel next week's strike and to 82 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 2: get back to actually dealing with this the way it 83 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 2: should be dealt with I. 84 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: Wish you well with It's Simmony and Brown who's in 85 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: front of the doctors today in Health Minister with us 86 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: this morning. I've read his speech and it's going to 87 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: be fascinating to see how it goes down and he's 88 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:38,840 Speaker 1: walking into a lines then of course, for. 89 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,239 Speaker 2: More from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news Talks. 90 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 91 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.