Current negotiations

Resident Medical Officers Bargaining

Overview

TAS is currently in bargaining on behalf of the country's 20 DHBs with the NZ Resident Doctors Association (RDA) to renew the Multi Employer Collective Agreement or MECA for Resident Medical Officers (RMOs). The RDA represents about 70 per cent of the country's 4000 RMOs.

Specialty Trainees of New Zealand (SToNZ) is a new RMO union. Since it was formed in mid-2018, SToNZ has successfully concluded a new MECA - its membership has grown from less than 50 when it was first initiated to almost 750 at 12 April 2019 - nearly 20 per cent of all RMOs.

There are also several hundred RMOs who are not members of either union and are covered by Individual Employment Agreements or IEAs.

Industrial action update

The RDA has served notice of a five-day strike from Monday 29 April.  DHBs believe this is unnecessary and disproportionate when there's a process underway to find a settlement.

The Employment Relations Authority has agreed to NZRDAs request for urgent facilitation - a move that DHBs support. DHBs are available to meet as soon as possible and call on the RDA members to lift strike notice now the ERA is involved. 

DHBs made an unconditional settlement offer to the NZRDA at mediation on 5 April. 

Key elements of the offer include:

• A number of amendments to better define how rosters are agreed and implemented
• Lump sum payments if RMOs don't strike
• A 3-year term with pay rises totalling 7.5 per cent

There have been four NZRDA strikes since 15 January 2019. Half of all RMOs worked through the strikes - between 60-65 per cent of all Registrars and about 35 per cent of House Officers.

Media

For previous media releases about negotiations with Resident Medical Officers, go to our media page.

Media

Bargaining update from the DHBs' lead CE

Resources: Letters, Factsheets and OIAs

The RMOs' terms and conditions of employment, and the latest workforce data.

Limits on working hours under each agreement, and how countries approach limits on hours of work differently.

Additional information

A comparison of the SToNZ and NZRDA MECAs

Data reported by DHBs about service impact during the eight days of industrial action over January and February.

Research into appropriate working hours, by the Royal New Zealand College of Surgeons.

Research into standards for safe working hours, by the Royal New Zealand College of Surgeons

 
Research into the emerging impacts of past MECAs, by the Sapere Research Group