Senior doctors' pay talks latest to stall

Senior doctors' pay talks have stalled prompting fears an industry-wide dispute could develop.

Junior hospital doctors have already been on strike and their dispute remains unresolved.

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, which represents about 2500 senior doctors and dentists, has been negotiating with health boards over their national employment agreement for four months.

The senior doctors are claiming an average 8 per cent pay rise to ensure salaries remain competitive with those in Australia, but boards had offered an increase of about 7 per cent over three years.

This compared with a 29 per cent increase over four years awarded to senior doctors in New South Wales in response to workforce shortages.

Association executive director Ian Powell said the union had made significant compromises but the boards had adopted a hard line.

"Their position reflects an indifference to the critical role of senior medical staff to the provision of services," he told the Dominion Post.

Mr Powell said there were no plans to follow the junior doctors with strike action, but it could not be ruled out. Talks were due to resume in that dispute today.

About 2500 junior doctors went on a five-day strike last month after contract talks broke down in June.

The nationwide industrial action reduced services at hospitals, affecting the care of 17,000 people.

"If there was to be strike action, it would be limited to elective surgery, and emergency services and care of patients in the wards would continue," Mr Powell said.

Association president Jeff Brown said rather than address recruitment issues, DHBs were trying to "claw back" existing terms and conditions of employment and increase managerial control.

District health boards spokesman Nigel Murray said DHBs were committed to "constructive and realistic" negotiations.

The senior doctors' union will resume negotiations with DHB representatives on October 11.

- NZPA