KEY POINTS:
Thousands of hospital patients face disruption to their treatment from tomorrow as medical laboratory workers strike.
Last-minute talks between the district health boards and Medical Laboratory Workers Union representatives are being held in Auckland today to avert the two-day action, which will mean blood transfusions, blood testing and tissue sampling services will be unavailable for all but life-threatening conditions.
Private hospitals will be hit, as the collective agreement is between the union, district health boards and the New Zealand Blood Service, which services private and public sectors.
Talks between the employers and 1200 union-represented workers have entered their 13th month of negotiation, with both sides seemingly poles apart.
It is one of a number of protracted industrial negotiations in the health sector still to be resolved. Senior doctors and radiographers, who strike next week, are still in negotiations.
Auckland's three district health boards have taken out newspaper advertisements advising people of the "limited services" available over the two days at all its hospitals, including emergency rooms.
"Potentially all patients are affected by this industrial action because of the impact it has on the normal running of the hospital," said Anne Aitcheson, the DHBs' national co-ordinator of contingency planning.
Mrs Aitcheson said hospitals went into contingency mode last week to reduce the demand on laboratory and blood services, which included rescheduling outpatient clinic appointments and postponing some surgery.
"Often patients are booked reasonably close to the date of surgery, so wherever that is the case, we have spent the last week going through our waiting lists to ensure patients booked will be able to proceed."
She did not expect this strike to create the same backlog as a seven-day strike by union members last November, which saw nearly 1000 elective surgeries put off in Auckland.
Although the hospitals could offer limited services, emergency services were "well-supported" with life-preserving agreements with the union in place and arrangements with private providers to help out where needed.
Medical Laboratory Workers Union president Stewart Smith hoped today's talks would avert a strike.
"We're hopeful that some issues will be resolved there but we need to have a realistic offer from our employers to break the deadlock."
The district health boards say the union is claiming more than 20 per cent in wages and conditions - which Mr Smith denied.
The union is seeking a 5 per cent pay rise with a starting salary of $45,000, up from $40,000 now.
"Medical lab scientists, after five years, are paid 16 to 21 per cent less than, for example, nurses. We have a 4-year degree and they have a three-year degree. But this dispute's not really about money.
"While money is a concern, there are a couple of other issues on the table at the moment."
He said there were moves to alter hours of work and add flexibility. The DHBs were also contracting out services to private providers without extending staff collective coverage.
Union members who are reemployed with the private service lose all their employment conditions and have to start again, he said.
"All we're after is protection. We've got a vulnerable workforce."
The DHBs say they just want the ability to change their hours of work after consulting the affected worker. The present agreement requires each employee to agree.
The private labs have also made clear they do not wish to be part of a collective agreement which includes private and public employers.
Industrial Action
* Two-day strike from 8am tomorrow until 8am Friday. Another one-day strike is planned on April 24.
* 1200 medical laboratory scientists will walk off the job.
* Union says pay is not at heart of issue, it is the DHBs' moves to contract out services to private providers without extending staff collective coverage.
* DHBs say the private labs do not wish to be party to a collective agreement between public and private employers.
