X-rays and scans on hold in strike

Ian Powell. Photo / Supplied

Public hospital patients face disruption to services again this week as radiographers stage a full strike for 48 hours.

Unionised radiographers at 19 of the country's district health boards, except Taranaki, where x-ray and scanning services are contracted out, will be off work for 48 hours from tomorrow, following a months-long campaign of mostly partial strikes.

The shouting between the DHBs and the radiographers' union Apex, has escalated since the boards withdrew their pay offer last month, which prompted a full strike in retaliation.

The radiographers' extended action has been running at the same time as strikes - partial and full - by members of the Medical Laboratory Workers Union at several DHBs and the New Zealand Blood Service.

The DHBs' spokeswoman, Northland board chief executive Karen Roach, said yesterday they would not give in to Apex demands for a deal on pay and conditions that would exceed agreements reached with most other health workers.

Apex accuses the health boards of refusing to resume talks.

"At least we are prepared to continue to look for a solution while they now have no offer to make and are refusing to come to the table," said Apex spokeswoman Robyn Slater.

Ms Roach said the DHBs were willing to talk if Apex produced proposals that were within the DHB's tight financial parameters.

The DHBs and their chief medical officers have said the strikes, especially the work-to-rule tactic used in the partial strikes, are putting patients at risk as the number of non-urgent cases builds up.

Ian Powell, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said his members had in many cases reluctantly accepted the deferral of scans or x-rays for patients. These were people whose diagnosis or treatment was not deemed necessary to avoid death or permanent disability so did not reach the threshold to call in a striking radiographer.

He said the threshold for calling striking staff back to work must now be set lower.

Ms Roach agreed, and said she would speak to her fellow board chiefs on how they could achieve what he had sought.

"Our position has always been that the life-preserving services provision [of the Employment Relations Act] was never set up to be used in ongoing action like we are seeing."

In health worker strikes, employers and unions are required to establish a protocol for calling strikers back to prevent a serious threat to life or permanent disability.

Apex spokeswoman Bernadette Gourley was not aware of any disputes involving radiographers refusing to provide services when requested.