DHBs agree to attend mediation with doctors

The New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association (NZRDA), which represents the great majority of resident medical officers in New Zealand, will engage in mediation with the district health boards on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

The NZRDA issued a strike notice on January 1 this year. The upcoming mediation aims to find a resolution to the dispute between the NZRDA and the DHBs over negotiation of the resident doctors’ collective agreement, which expired in February 2018.

“Despite a year of bargaining, the employers delayed tabling claims until September, nine months after bargaining began,” said Dr Courtney Brown, national president of NZRDA.

“And when they did table their claims, they sought numerous clawbacks to resident doctors’ terms and conditions of employment.” GETTY IMAGES

If the mediation does not generate agreement, strike action will proceed on January 15 and 16.

Resident doctors are also known as RMOs or Resident Medical Officers. The term SMO (Senior Medical Officer) is the equivalent term for senior doctors or consultants working in NZ’s public health system.

Resident doctors are registered medical practitioners ranging from new graduates fresh out of medical school through to vocationally registered GPs and SMOs.

They can be a resident doctor for up to 13 years, during which time they continue with postgraduate training in specialist fields such as GP, paediatrics, surgery, pathology, and so on.

Once they complete this additional training resident doctors become GPs or SMOs.