Health minister’s warning to doctors planning to strike over pay dispute

NSW’s health minister has issued a warning against doctors planning to strike on Tuesday in a move that could leave people waiting hours in emergency departments and delay surgeries.

NSW’s health minister has defiantly issued a warning against doctors planning to strike Tuesday in a move that could leave people waiting hours in emergency departments and delay surgeries, saying it is “inexplicable” they would risk the safety of patients in pursuit of a pay rise.

The Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation, which represents more than 5000 doctors in more than 30 public hospitals across NSW, confirmed on Sunday its members will walk off the job from Tuesday until Thursday – despite the Industrial Relations Commission ordering them to call it off last week.

Striking doctors – for the first time in decades – could leave people waiting in emergency departments for hours if they are categorised as less critical, while elderly people with planned surgeries such as knee reconstructions could have to wait even longer to be operated on.

Health Minister Ryan Park, pictured in parliament, says the doctors’ pay dispute should be resolved in court - not by striking and potentially putting patients at risk.

Last night, the Minns government was preparing for major impacts in emergency departments at Sydney hospitals including Westmead, Auburn, Canterbury, Concord, Nepean, Sutherland, St George, Prince of Wales, Royal North Shore, Hornsby and also at regional bases such as John Hunter and Wagga.

The union’s doctors, a large section of whom are on salaries of up to $439,600, want a 30 per cent pay rise in one year.

The average salary for senior medical officers is about $186,000, while some junior officers are on wages as low as $76,000.

The state government has offered a 10.5 per cent pay rise over three years, on top of a 4.5 per cent raise already handed over.

On Sunday, Health Minister Ryan Park disputed the union’s claims patient care would not be impacted and warned emergency departments across NSW could be affected along with planned surgeries.

Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation members pose for a photo ahead of the planned strike, which is slated to begin on Tuesday.

He urged the union to call off the strike and try to resolve the pay dispute in the IRC.

“This is not a union without options – it is inexplicable ASMOF would actively choose to jeopardise patient safety over resolving its claim in the IRC,” he said.

“I say to ASMOF, it is not too late to return to the IRC.”

Meanwhile, the government is now urgently doing preparations to manage the impact on patients across the state, including contacting people who will have their surgeries postponed until later dates.

Mr Park said he does think healthcare workers should be paid more, but he said the pay dispute should not be determined by striking.

“We do not want this, we reinstated the independent IRC for this very reason,” he said.

It comes after the union has been in the same court seeking a pay rise for public psychiatrists in a separate matter.

The commission said it did not want to continue the psychiatrists proceedings while the doctors strike was afoot and pushed that hearing back until later this week.

The union’s junior vice president, Tom Morrison, said on Sunday of the planned doctor’s strike: “We do not want to do this”.

“This is a last resort after the government walked out of negotiations after 18 months and 15 meetings,” he said.

“Doctors will never compromise the safety of our patients.”

Originally published as Health minister’s warning to doctors planning to strike over pay dispute