Health New Zealand failed to resolve its long-running pay
dispute with the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists
by failing to turn up with any meaningful improvement on its
offer.
ASMS made it clear that the strike notice would
not be lifted unless there was a sufficient movement on the
initial pay offer. This did not occur.
The offer still
represents a real pay cut for our senior medical workforce
at a time when recruitment and retention is
critical.
Health New Zealand, on arriving at
bargaining, was unable to give accurate financial costings
about its offer, there were errors in the position it
tabled, which it was meant to update before bargaining
resumed today. It did not do so.
Health NZ refuses to
recognise a full year of delay to the bargaining process due
to its inability to come to the table with a pay offer. Its
bargaining team was not assembled until after the collective
agreement expired and the first offer was not made until
April 2025.
ASMS is still in bargaining. ASMS offered
to meet again before strike day to make more progress.
Health NZ has not taken up this offer.
ASMS members
are not walking away from patients, they simply know it is
critical to have a pay offer that it is competitive and
continues to attract the medical workforce to New
Zealand.
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