Tauranga Hospital cardiologist Dean Boddington spoke out ahead of Tuesday's senior doctors' strike. Video / Alex Cairns
A striking Tauranga Hospital psychiatrist says senior doctors are “exhausted” and want to feel valued after a three-year “pay freeze” due to Covid-19.
Dr Mark Lawrence — an executive member of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) union — made the comments after taking part in the union’s senior doctors’ strike outside Tauranga Hospital yesterday.
The union wants an “inflation-adjusted” pay increase for its members and has disputed Te Whatu Ora’s comment that its “very fair and improved offer” in mediation on Friday had “essentially” met the union’s claim.
The national strike — the union’s first — took place from 12pm to 2pm at public hospitals and other health facilities where senior medical officers work. An estimated 5500 doctors and 100 dentists took part around New Zealand.
It came after Tauranga Hospital cardiologist Dr Dean Boddington told the Bay of Plenty Times the strike was more about working conditions — which he described as “intolerable” — in the “abusive” public health system than pay.
ASMS union executive member and Tauranga Hospital psychiatrist Dr Mark Lawrence. Photo / Alex Cairns
Lawrence told the Bay of Plenty Times yesterday he participated in the strike to tell Te Whatu Ora “we’re exhausted” and “we want to feel valued”.
He said members wanted “a minimum payment matching CPI [the consumer price index]”.
“Over the last three years, there was a pay freeze because of Covid and post-Covid issues.”
Lawrence said this effectively meant doctors had “definitely had a pay cut because everything else has gone up”.
He said the demands on their work had risen “exponentially” and, in his view, doctors were doing “more for less”.
“The general sense is that most are really over it.”
Lawrence said “many” of his colleagues had moved to Australia for better working conditions and pay.
“We have a huge investment in this place and we just don’t feel valued.”
Toi Te Ora Public Health medical officer of health Dr Jim Miller. Photo / Alex Cairns
Toi Te Ora Public Health medical officer of health Dr Jim Miller attended the strike, saying it was “really important” to show some “solidarity” with senior medical staff in the area.
“I think the pressure on staffing is really quite clear from speaking to colleagues, and being offered a pay settlement that would actually be a pay cut isn’t going to help attract and retain doctors,” he said.
He estimated between 30 and 60 senior doctors took part at some point during the two-hour strike.
He said he was impressed by the turnout “on a really horrible, wet and miserable day”.
“It was really very heartening to hear all the toots and waves and see the thumbs-ups from members of the public.”
ASMS union members striking outside Tauranga Hospital on Tuesday. Photo / Alex Cairns
In a Te Whatu Ora media release yesterday, acting national clinical director Dr Nick Baker said it was working to reschedule about 250 planned care procedures and outpatient appointments deferred across the motu [country] because of the strike.
Baker said emergency departments remained open and “care was maintained” for patients during the strike.
“We appreciate some may have been anxious about the strike and thank them for their understanding.”
He said Te Whatu Ora remained committed to reaching a settlement with the union.
“We are going back to mediated talks with the union [today] with this in mind and won’t comment further on those important discussions.”
If mediation fails again, the union has confirmed a further strike between 10am and 12pm on September 13, as well as a four-hour strike on another date.
The Bay of Plenty Times approached Te Whatu Ora for a response to comments from striking staff.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
