Nurses And Senior Doctors’ Bargaining Stretches Into Second Year

Kate
Green , Health Correspondent

Bargaining
over pay and conditions has stretched into its second year
for nurses and senior doctors, while bargaining for junior
doctors is just beginning.

The collective agreement
for senior doctors with the Association of Salaried Medical
Specialists (ASMS) expired in August, 2024.

Nurses,
too, through the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO),
have been in bargaining for nearly as long, with their
negotiations beginning in September 2024. Both unions have
held strikes.

Health New Zealand confirmed that in
2025, three offers were made to senior doctors and two to
nurses, which were all declined.

“We are continuing to
work with ASMS and NZNO in good faith and have already held
several bargaining dates in 2026 with more planned in the
coming weeks,” said a HNZ spokesperson in a
statement.

In September,
[https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/498384/employment-relations-authority-asked-to-step-in-over-senior-doctor-pay-dispute

Health
NZ called for the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) to
step in] and force doctors into a contract, saying the union
had breached the obligations of good faith.

An
employment law specialist told RNZ at the time it was an unprecedented
move for the public sector.

In November, with the
union against it, the ERA
declined to step in, saying there was a high bar to meet
and there had been no serious and sustained breaches of good
faith.

“The parties are a distance apart but it is not
unusual in bargaining for a lot of progress to be made in a
short time, even after a long period of little progress,”
said authority member Nicola Craig at the time.

ASMS
chief executive Sarah Dalton told RNZ on Friday the gap
between the parties was smaller than ever, but still not
fully closed.

“I do believe the gap has been closing,
and we’re not wildly far apart, but the most recent position
they put to us – which was not a formal offer but a position
– was still short of what our executive believes would be
enough to take something back to our members.”

“I hope
that we will settle sometime during the course of this year,
but in order for that to happen, Health New Zealand needs to
bring more to the table.”

It is an option that union
members have during bargaining,” she said. “So potentially
that could happen, [but] that is not our plan at the
moment.”

One of the two junior doctors’ unions –
Specialty Trainees of New Zealand (STONZ) – had just entered
bargaining already, and the other – Resident Doctors
Association (NZRDA) – had begun pre-bargaining talks, with
formal bargaining set to begin in June.

STONZ
executive director Kate Clapperton-Rees told RNZ: “Our focus
in these negotiations is on claims that recognise and value
our Resident Medical Officers, and on securing improvements
that will help attract and retain more doctors in Aotearoa
New Zealand.”

NZRDA senior advocate Melissa Dobbyn
said they were currently working through more than 200 pages
of responses from members about issues and
concerns.

“We will be looking at improving supports
for RMOs during key transition points on the pathway from
medical school to completing training as an SMO, including
examinations, moving hospitals, and promotion from house
office to registrar.”

A spokesperson for health
minister Simeon Brown said in a statement: “The minister
greatly values the senior and junior doctor workforce and
looks forward to negotiations for both
concluding.”

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