Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation NT Branch Secretary Dr John Zorbas says we're struggling to keep doctos in the NT, and that's why the Government pay freeze was voted down with 90% support

Transcript

Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation NT Branch Secretary Dr John Zorbas says we're struggling to keep doctos in the NT, and that's why the Government pay freeze was voted down with 90% support · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to mix one oh four nine's three sixty. Now,
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  Speaker 1: Territory doctors have voted no to a four year pay
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  Speaker 1: freeze offer by the Northern Territory government in what's been
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  Speaker 1: described as exceptional numbers. Joining me on the line to
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  Speaker 1: tell us a little bit more about the situation is
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  Speaker 1: the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation NT Branch Secretary Doctor
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  Speaker 1: John Zororbers. Good morning to you, John, Good morning, how
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  Speaker 1: are you? Yeah? Really well, Thanks so much for your
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  Speaker 1: time this morning. Now, John, tell us when did this
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  Speaker 1: vote happen and what were the numbers.
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  Speaker 2: So the vote closed last week and what we saw
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  Speaker 2: were record numbers, more than ninety percent of Territory doctors
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  Speaker 2: voting no to the real terms pay cut that was
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  Speaker 2: being offered by the government. With about fifty percent of
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  Speaker 2: all doctors voting. Now, that's the highest turnout and the
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  Speaker 2: highest no vote we've seen in the history of the territory.
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  Speaker 2: A really strong message to the government that's cutting the
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  Speaker 2: pay of doctors at this time, in these circumstances that
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  Speaker 2: we're facing, is a terrible move for all Territorians.
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  Speaker 1: And why do you reckon that doctors did turn out
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  Speaker 1: in record numbers to have their voices heard.
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  Speaker 2: Look, it's no secret that the last couple of years
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  Speaker 2: has been hard for everybody, not just the doctors and
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  Speaker 2: nurses inside the health system, but also all territorians and
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  Speaker 2: watching how things have eroded in terms of work conditions,
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  Speaker 2: in terms of morale. To be offered a pay cut
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  Speaker 2: in the two year mark of what's been a really
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  Speaker 2: difficult time was a real kick in the face, and
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  Speaker 2: I think a lot of doctors wanted to stand up
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  Speaker 2: and let themselves be counted.
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  Speaker 1: Now we know that the health system has been going
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  Speaker 1: through a tough time. I know that at different times
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  Speaker 1: on the show we've spoken about staff shortages, both with
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  Speaker 1: our doctors and medical professionals, also with our nurses across
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  Speaker 1: the board. I think you'd have to say, how are
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  Speaker 1: things going at the moment?
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  Speaker 2: Looks, I'm being honest, not great. We really depend a
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  Speaker 2: lot on people coming to the town ritory. We're a
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  Speaker 2: very large geographical space. We've got a very complex set
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  Speaker 2: of health needs up here with our population, and hanging
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  Speaker 2: on to doctors and hanging on to nurses and all
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  Speaker 2: the people who work in our health system can be
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  Speaker 2: really difficult because of that we have to outperform our
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  Speaker 2: other states and territories. And now, right now, what we've
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  Speaker 2: got on offer is less than what is offered in
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  Speaker 2: all other states and territories. It's very hard to convince
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  Speaker 2: people to stay. It's very hard to convince people to
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  Speaker 2: remain in the territory and provide quality services inside our
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  Speaker 2: hospitals and our practices.
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  Speaker 1: And when you talk about our doctors, whether it's in
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  Speaker 1: the hospital or it's in other practices or other specialized fields,
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  Speaker 1: are we struggling to fill some jobs at the moment
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  Speaker 1: or how are we tracking when it comes to filling
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  Speaker 1: those positions.
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  Speaker 2: We are struggling to hold onto people. The recruitment is difficult, absolutely,
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  Speaker 2: but hanging on to them even more so. And that
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  Speaker 2: means every time a doctor just gets set up and
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  Speaker 2: moves on, that's another round of training, that's another round
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  Speaker 2: of orientation, round of recruitment. Get someone to come and
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  Speaker 2: fill these places. And that means, you know, we're really
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  Speaker 2: reliant on locans to fill some of these spots. And
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  Speaker 2: that's another doctor in the territory who who doesn't know
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  Speaker 2: where Man and Greeter is, who doesn't know where Fred's
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  Speaker 2: past is. You know, doesn't know the local geography and
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  Speaker 2: the needs of our territories, and that really stops us
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  Speaker 2: from being able to deliver really quality care at all times.
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  Speaker 1: And John, when you talk about the fact that we
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  Speaker 1: are struggling to hold on to people, what kind of
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  Speaker 1: impact does that have on delivering some of the different services?
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  Speaker 1: Are you things like our weight lists for surgeries.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so this has a huge knock on effect. As
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  Speaker 2: you say, if we've got difficulty hanging on to people,
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  Speaker 2: that means lists have to be reconfigured. It means we've
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  Speaker 2: got to go back and redo a lot of this
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  Speaker 2: administrative work, and that just then leads or knock on
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  Speaker 2: effect of increase waiting times. Nobody wants to be in
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  Speaker 2: an emergency department waiting room. Nobody wants to be on
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  Speaker 2: a waiting list. And by offering less than the cost
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  Speaker 2: of living, risk losing more and more doctors and making
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  Speaker 2: these way kids longer and longer.
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  Speaker 1: So what would our doctors and medical professionals like to
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  Speaker 1: see here with this pay deal?
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  Speaker 2: Very simple? But what we're asking for is inflation. So
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  Speaker 2: we've asked for three and a half percent, which I
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  Speaker 2: think is quite reasonable, especially when you look at what's
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  Speaker 2: been offered in other states and other territories. What's on
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  Speaker 2: offer from the government is the pay freeze and this
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  Speaker 2: applies to all sectors. I mean, we saw the Teachers'
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  Speaker 2: Union I believe it was last week also vote knowing
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  Speaker 2: record numbers with a close to ninety percent no vote
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  Speaker 2: as well. But this is being felt across all sectors.
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  Speaker 2: It's not just doctor and nurses. Really, what we're asking
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  Speaker 2: for at this time is just the cost of living.
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  Speaker 2: And there are some other features of our proposal. We've
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  Speaker 2: requested things like reasonable breastfeeding facilities, reasonable on call rooms,
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  Speaker 2: simple things that enable us to do our job. And
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  Speaker 2: without coming to the table on those again, the government's
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  Speaker 2: just putting up more and more barriers to keeping quality
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  Speaker 2: doctors in the territory.
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  Speaker 1: If you're not able to actually, you know, to see
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  Speaker 1: this change to the pay conditions, you know that you're
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  Speaker 1: asking for inflation rate really, so three point five percent,
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  Speaker 1: what do you think the ramifications are going to be.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we'd like to return to the negotiating table. We
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  Speaker 2: like to go back through the governments and sit down
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  Speaker 2: with the OCP and talk about what's on offer and
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  Speaker 2: hopefully bring them around to our a thinking and explain
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  Speaker 2: why it is and get them to understand how important
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  Speaker 2: this is to the territory in the health of territorians.
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  Speaker 2: Where we go from there is really up to them,
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  Speaker 2: and they really need to sit down and ask themselves
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  Speaker 2: whether they want to gamble with the health of the territorians.
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  Speaker 1: John to anybody listening this morning, who's thinking, you know,
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  Speaker 1: I work in a business where I haven't had a
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  Speaker 1: pay rise for a number of years, I'm struggling on
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  Speaker 1: casual wages. Or listening and thinking are our doctors and
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  Speaker 1: medical professionals being greedy here? What would you say to them?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I say every sector is different. Every different sector
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  Speaker 2: has its demands and has a supply issues. And I
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  Speaker 2: really feel for private and small businesses at this time
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  Speaker 2: as well. But ultimately, this is a decision that affects
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  Speaker 2: every single territorium, every single territorium, rich or poor, urban
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  Speaker 2: or rural needs. Our emergency departments, needs, our operating theaters, needs,
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  Speaker 2: our primary healthcare clinics. And if we can't match what
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  Speaker 2: our other states and territories are matching, and we're not
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  Speaker 2: even all we're asking for here is cost of living.
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  Speaker 2: Let's remember that all we're asking for is to keep
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  Speaker 2: in line with cost increases, so we're not asking for
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  Speaker 2: a huge pay rise. If we can't do that, that's
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  Speaker 2: one less doctor in ourth territory, that's one less nurse
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  Speaker 2: in the territory, and that affects every single territorium. So
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  Speaker 2: they do have skin in this game, and I think
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  Speaker 2: especially at this time after the couple of years that
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  Speaker 2: the health system has endured, now is not the time
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  Speaker 2: to not be investing in our human capital.
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  Speaker 1: So at this point in time, what the Australian Salaried
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  Speaker 1: Medical Officers Federation would like to see is being able
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  Speaker 1: to sit back down at the table and cant you
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  Speaker 1: those negotiations.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, absolutely, the door is open. We want to continue
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  Speaker 2: working with the government and hopefully come to a more
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  Speaker 2: reasonable response.
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  Speaker 1: And if you can't, is there the chance here that
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  Speaker 1: there could be strikes or other industrial sort of action taken?
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  Speaker 2: There is. I think it's important for your listeners to
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  Speaker 2: understand that we would never take action that would threaten
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  Speaker 2: patient care. That would never ever be on the table.
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  Speaker 2: But there are ways that we can continue to work
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  Speaker 2: with the government or protest what the government is trying
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  Speaker 2: to offer, and we will use those mechanisms if we
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  Speaker 2: need too, but that is absolutely a last resort, absolutely
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  Speaker 2: a last resort.
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  Speaker 1: Well Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation NT Branch Secretary, Doctor
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  Speaker 1: John Zorbis, I really appreciate your time this morning. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you very much for.
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  Speaker 2: Speaking with me, no problems, thanks for having us.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, and that number if you do want to
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  Speaker 1: call through this morning eight nine four one one oh
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  Speaker 1: four nine