Lockout threat raises stakes in health disputes

Suspensions are putting workers under financial pressure and some have resigned from the lab union. Photo / APN

A health board has raised the prospect of locking out laboratory workers to force an end to a drawn-out dispute over pay and conditions.

This new threat marks a raising of the stakes in the widespread industrial disputes between health workers and district health boards and comes as tensions build over pay talks with the Resident Doctors' Association.

The union for house officers and registrars has more talks scheduled next week with the DHBs. It is not commenting, but others say it has balloted members about industrial action.

Disruption of services continued yesterday after Medical Laboratory Workers Union members went on strike for 24 hours at Auckland's three DHBs, following a strike of the same length earlier in the week by radiographers at 19 health boards.

Laboratory workers have given notice of more strikes of varying lengths in Auckland on September 21 and 22, although some will be restricted to certain lab departments.

The lab and radiographer strikes are in retaliation for suspensions without pay, for up to several days at a time, of workers undertaking various kinds of lower level industrial action such as refusing to answer phones, refusing to process certain kinds of tests for a period and enforcing minimum times to conduct CT scans.

The suspensions are putting workers under financial pressure, and some have resigned from the lab union and returned to work on normal duties. On Thursday the Northland District Health Board said it had begun suspending lab workers for up to four hours at a time.

"We had hoped the dispute would not reach this point but we are now into our ninth week of industrial action and the ongoing action is disruptive, placing a strain on other staff picking up the workload and patients awaiting treatment," said the board's general manager of clinical services, Nick Chamberlain.

Dr Chamberlain said the suspensions would continue until the industrial action was lifted. Stronger action, such as a lockout - barring workers from their workplace - might also be considered.

Lab union secretary Bryan Raill said members at Northland were now discussing a full strike in light of their employer's new stance. Although a small number of members had resigned because of the suspensions, "lab workers are sticking together".

Members handed out leaflets yesterday near Middlemore and Auckland City Hospitals and the Britomart transport centre. The leaflets are similar to the union's full-page advertisement in yesterday's Herald, which says the laboratory workforce is not being adequately replaced and that degree-qualified lab workers are paid less than teachers and nurses despite spending longer at university.

But the DHBs rejected the claim of a crisis, saying the medical laboratory workforce was relatively well paid and stable, with few vacancies.

Pay talks
* Laboratory workers - ongoing industrial action, including full strikes and suspensions.

* Radiographers - ongoing industrial action.

* Senior doctors - in talks with district health boards.

* Resident doctors - more talks with DHBs next week.