(From left): Junior doctors Bridget Greenway, Phillipa Hawke, Sophie Janssen and Shaelina Martin John Patrick are some of the Whanganui health sector staff currently on strike. Photo / Bevan Conley
(From left): Junior doctors Bridget Greenway, Phillipa Hawke, Sophie Janssen and Shaelina Martin John Patrick are some of the Whanganui health sector staff currently on strike. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui junior doctors are striking for the third time in a month to call for better working conditions and fairer pay outcomes.
Between 15-20 doctors joined the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) strike action in Whanganui on Thursday. The strike is due to run from 7am on Thursday until 8am on Saturday, June 1.
Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora chief people officer Andrew Slater said he was frustrated and disappointed the doctors were going ahead with the strike despite the Employment Relations Authority recommending they pause during facilitation.
Whanganui Hospital resident doctor Sophie Janssen said she would like hospitals to phase out double long-day weekends.
“It’s something that happens quite commonly at smaller hospitals like Whanganui.
“Junior doctors work 32 hours in a 48-hour period over the weekend, so from about 7.30am on Saturday until 10pm on Sunday - provided you leave on time.”
Whanganui doctor Phillipa Hawke said doctors have also chosen to give blood during strike actions.
Janssen said the shifts were “fatiguing”, highly demanding and meant doctors worked with reduced sleep hours.
“They’re also incredibly unsafe for the patients.”
Patients had asked Janssen on Sunday evening shifts: “Why are you still here? You were here yesterday at 10pm and now you’re here again.”
Whanganui Hospital resident doctor Phillipa Hawke said there was a pay gap between the two unions Te Whatu Ora needed to close.
“At the moment there’s a decent discrepancy in pay, and I don’t think it’s fair that I’ll be getting paid less than my colleague and we’re doing the same amount of hours.”
Junior doctors held signs and protested at the roundabout at the intersection of Heads Road and Liffiton Street.
Hawke said people should not be discouraged from going to the hospital during the strike as there would still be doctors to treat patients.
“If you’re sick, you should still go.
“I know some people are anxious when they know there are [fewer] doctors there, which is unfortunate.”
She said she would much rather be at work than on strike and did not like leaving her patients at the hospital.
“But I want to make sure that the people who come through after me don’t have to do this same thing.”
Slater said there was an 18 per cent pay offer on the table for the junior doctors and Te Whatu Ora had been in facilitation with the union.
The facilitator was set to make a formal recommendation next week.
The strike coincides with that of Apex and Public Service Association union members of the NZ Blood Service (NZBS), who are taking rolling industrial action from May 29 to June 19.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
