KEY POINTS:
Planned further strikes by radiation therapists have been averted after a pay settlement was reached today.
District health boards (DHBs) and the Association of Professional and Executive Employees (Apex) union representing the therapists have been locked in negotiations since yesterday, and DHB spokesman Murray Georgel said there was a breakthrough this morning.
Mr Georgel said DHBs were able to increase their pay offer when radiation therapists agreed to extend the time the agreement covers.
"We're delighted that the (therapists) have extended the length of the agreement and reduced their claims so DHBs can stay within our budgets," he said.
"The sad thing is there have been more than 270 separate notices of industrial action, hundreds of people have had their treatment disrupted, but the framework for this deal was on the table in the middle of last year."
Therapists in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Palmerston North have walked off the job on various days this week.
Those in Auckland and Wellington had planned to strike again on Monday.
At the start of recent negotiations DHBs said they had offered 5.5 per cent over two years, a figure disputed by the union, which was seeking 3 per cent a year over two years.
Mr Georgel said the new package included 1 per cent backdated to April last year, another 1.5 per cent backdated to October and another 2.5 per cent from July this year -- on top of the step increases.
- NZPA
