KEY POINTS:
A breakthrough could be in sight in the junior doctors' dispute with district health boards (DHBs), with meetings between the parties called for tomorrow and Wednesday.
Last week the New Zealand Resident Doctors Association (NZRDA) announced its members had voted in favour of taking nationwide strike action on April 22.
NZRDA general secretary Dr Deborah Powell said today DHBs had agreed to meet tomorrow and Wednesday, ahead of the planned strike action next week.
"We are absolutely delighted with the DHBs' decision to meet us this week and hope this provides an opportunity for constructive negotiations that will prevent future strike action."
Strike action was a last resort for the union but it felt that industrial action was its only option after months of stalled negotiations, she said.
Resident doctors are seeking a 10 per cent increase in salary for the next three years.
Dr Powell said the DHBs had offered resident doctors 4 per cent each year for the next two years.
NZRDA believed that would not enough to stem the flow of resident doctors overseas or into the locum market where pay was more attractive.
While hopeful negotiations would result in a positive outcome, resident doctors were still putting plans in place for strike action next week if the discussions were unsuccessful, she said.
- NZPA
