KEY POINTS:
Lakes District Health Board (DHB) called striking radiographers back to work today to deal with two life preserving cases as the stoppage entered its fifth day.
About 260 radiographers from seven district health boards began a strike on Friday in support of pay parity with their colleagues at other health boards.
Southland, Otago, Hutt Valley, Lakes (Rotorua) and Bay of Plenty DHBs have stopped stop work for 10 days, while Canterbury will be affected for nine days and Tarawhiti for five days.
Lakes staff sent about 20 patients out to a private radiology provider for x-rays from its two hospitals during the day.
Senior medical staff at Lakes said they were concerned about the strike, claiming it would severely compromise the standard of care for many patients.
Limited access to radiology services posed clinical risk for patients with increased chance of serious harm or even death.
Canterbury DHB hospitals and radiology providers had been busy and under pressure but coping in the last 24 hours, said Jock Muir, head of the DHB's contingency planning for the strike.
"There have been no major incidents at our sites but a number of life preserving requests have been made of the [radiographer's] union."
DHB spokesman Gordon Davies said they were disappointed at the lab workers' threat to strike.
He said DHBs had been negotiating with the medical laboratory workers since April and had made several offers.
"The last time we met was in August where DHBs tabled an offer of 5.4 per cent for two years."
"The union took the offer back to its members and the strike notice is the first official response we've had."
The DHB offer includes the 4 per cent pay rise over two years plus extra elements built in.
Mr Davies said the lab workers' claim would cost DHBs 20 per cent because of the increase that would be applied to current penal rates and allowances.
He said DHBs had offered the employees a scale from $40,000 to $80,000, which was line with other scientists and technologists working in health.
Lab services were an integral part of diagnostic services and the strike would have a significant impact on hospital services around the country, Mr Davies said.
"Demanding more money and holding services to ransom without addressing the underlying issues is not negotiation."
- NZPA
