1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,440 Speaker 1: Afternoon. The latest on the doctor strike is that the 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Health Minister, Simeon Brown has called the doctors back to 3 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,039 Speaker 1: the negotiating table this afternoon. 4 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 2: Health New Zealand is committed to reaching a settlement with 5 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 2: ASMS and is applied to the Employment Relations Authority for 6 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 2: facilitation as the next step to resolve this. I urged 7 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 2: the ACMs union to return to the negotiation table so 8 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 2: a deal can be struck and patients can get the 9 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:26,439 Speaker 2: care that they need. 10 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: Sarah Dalton is with the union representing the doctors. Hi, Sarah, Hi, Heather, 11 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 1: how are you doing very well? Thank you? When are 12 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: you back at the negotiating table. 13 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 3: Then there's a case conference tomorrow to talk about facilitation 14 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 3: and whether that's the next best process for bargaining. 15 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: Was this something that was already planned or is this 16 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: something that that Simeon Brown has just initiated. 17 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 3: No, no, we knew about it earlier this week. Futwada 18 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:54,959 Speaker 3: told us they were going to apply for facilitation. This 19 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 3: is not news. It's we ended up in facilitation the 20 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 3: last two bargaining round. I think what would be really 21 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 3: helpful would be for the minister to think about what 22 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,119 Speaker 3: funds they make available to to futt Order to help 23 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 3: them sort this out. 24 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: As in how much more to offer you guys. 25 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, well he's been pretty clear that they have to 26 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 3: meet whatever the settlement is out of their baseline funding 27 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:24,399 Speaker 3: which keeps being stripped back. So I mean, if he 28 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 3: wants to play a productive role in discussions, I think 29 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 3: this government needs to look at the way they're funding 30 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 3: health and particularly health workforce. 31 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: What is the difference, Sarah, between what you've been offered 32 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: and what you guys want. 33 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 3: Well, what's been offered for most of our members works 34 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 3: out at less than one percent a year over a 35 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 3: three year term. For about five hundred of our members 36 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 3: who had been in the first three years of working 37 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 3: a specialist, there's a little bit more there, but as 38 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 3: far as we can ascertain, what's been offered still fits 39 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 3: within the initial envelope that fut Order have brought to 40 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 3: the table, which is no more more than a one 41 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 3: and a half percent increase on their current spend on 42 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 3: senior doctor salaries. 43 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: And the increase that you want is what we've put 44 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: an a. 45 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 3: Claim for twelve percent. Now, obviously we're in bargaining, but 46 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 3: we are very far apart at the moment. As you 47 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 3: probably know we've got issues with relativities with junior doctors, 48 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 3: and I'm being bombarded with emails from our members showing 49 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 3: me examples of job offers outside of New Zealand where 50 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 3: they're being offered wild sums of money. 51 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: They are they interested in taking it? 52 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 3: Oh, look, some people already have right. I think the 53 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 3: people that were out there on the picket lines today 54 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 3: and participating in strike action are here because they're committed 55 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 3: to staying in New Zealand. What they really want is 56 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 3: enough colleagues to make their work tenable, sustainable and safe. Now. 57 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: Samian Brown has regularly criticized the fact that you haven't 58 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: even put this offer to your member members. Why haven't 59 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: you done that? 60 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 3: There's a couple of reasons for that. The first is, 61 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 3: in our constitution, our executive actually has decision making power 62 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 3: about settlements, generally poll our members when we think we've 63 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 3: got a serious offer and when we think we're at 64 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,520 Speaker 3: a point of conclusion. But the second thing is there 65 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 3: was no more being offered than before. We've been closely 66 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 3: in contact with our members through the whole process about 67 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 3: what their expectations are, and I'd have to say the 68 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 3: twelve percent claim that we put is already a compromise 69 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 3: in the eyes of some of our members, because they 70 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 3: know very well what they can earn in private and 71 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 3: what's on offer over the tasmum. 72 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: Sarah, Thanks very much, Sarah Dalton with the Association of 73 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: Salaried Medical Specialists. 74 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 75 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 2: news talks. 76 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 77 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.