Striking Northland lab staff suspended

The Northland District Health Board (DHB) has suspended four striking lab workers and more suspensions may follow.

Medical laboratory workers have been involved in industrial action for almost nine weeks after rejecting an offer they say would have given them no pay increase.

The Northland DHB said it would continue suspending staff, members of the New Zealand Medical Laboratory Workers Union, until industrial action stopped.

Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau DHBs have already suspended workers.

"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 Northland DHB spokesman Nick Chamberlain.

Union action had included refusing to answer telephones, not collecting blood samples or processing laboratory tests.

"As we must be responsible for how we spend public funds, it is unreasonable to continue paying a full wage to employees who are not carrying out the work they are being paid to do," said Dr Chamberlain.

The suspensions would last up to four hours and wages would be adjusted, he said.

Union secretary Bryan Raill said the suspensions were designed to be "punitive".

"The DHBs are trying to bully and harass DHB workers...instead of settling the pay claim, which could be settled quite reasonably," he said.

The union wanted to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

"We're not out picketing, shouting and blowing horns...we're willing to meet with the DHBs at anytime but it takes two to tango," Mr Raill said.

- NZPA