KEY POINTS:
Laboratory scientist Grant Moore admits to looking longingly at the A$80,000 ($92,000) he says he could earn in Australia.
A 46-year-old with 23 years' medical laboratory experience and an honours degree, Mr Moore is paid around $58,500 a year by the Canterbury District Health Board.
Shifting to Australia with his wife and four sons was becoming more attractive. "It's something I have started to consider."
Mr Moore spoke out yesterday in support of the seven-day strike for higher pay by 1200 members of the Medical Laboratory Workers Union.
He heads his health board's 11-member toxicology lab. Its work includes testing urine for illicit drugs and blood to monitor levels of therapeutic drugs such as epilepsy medication.
The lab mainly serves Christchurch Hospital but also has commercial clients for which it provides services such as workplace drug testing.
Mr Moore said he was recognised as an expert in his field, advising national and international laboratory accreditation bodies. His job was very interesting - which was part of the reason he stayed on - but the salary was "pretty low for somebody with my experience and expertise".
He said it had become difficult to recruit laboratory scientists because of the comparatively low pay. The average age was around 45 and rising.
"It's difficult because we want this profession to survive. We want it to provide a high quality service.
"We are looking for a reasonable salary for our expertise and responsibility. The big thing is to be able to attract new people into the profession so we are keen to see the entry level move from $40,000 to $45,000 for new graduates.
"It's a 4 1/2-year degree before they even get into the workforce."
But the district health boards deny having trouble hiring lab scientists.
"DHBs consider that recruitment and retention is not a problem, with a low turnover of staff within the industry," said a Canterbury board general manager, Trevor English. "We also have success in attracting staff from overseas to specialist areas."
