New faces welcomed at branch officers’ workshop
New branch officers meet in Wellington
T
his year’s ASMS branch officers’ workshop in July was marked by a raft of new faces, following elections earlier in the year.
Each region is represented by a President and a Vice President. They are key representatives in your workplace and are elected for three-year terms. They officially took up office on 1 July. Every year ASMS brings our branch officers together in Wellington for a day of discussions, presentations, and information-sharing to support them in their roles. Last year many branch officers had to join virtually due to Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions in Auckland. Unsurprisingly, a key focus of this year’s meeting was the lack of progress in the MECA negotiations, including briefings on the planned stopwork meetings. The Council of Trade Unions’ new economist Craig Renney brought macro-economics to life as he gave his analysis of the Government’s last Budget. Craig, who spent five years in Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s office, said Covid-19 is a mere blip that won’t have a long-term structural effect on the economy. He also pointed out that New Zealand has comparatively very low debt levels, and in his view the Government has “significant fiscal headroom for expenditure”. Other big themes of the day were burnout and wellbeing. ASMS Policy and Research head Dr Charlotte Chambers presented the findings of the recent member burnout survey, while Northland SMO Dr Lucille Wilkinson spoke about the research she has been doing on wellbeing during her sabbatical. It included looking into the need for wellbeing measurement tools for health workers and the obligation for employers to provide safe working environments.
Dr Clare French
Dr thomas carter
Dr nigel giles
Dr Clare French is the new Vice President of the Wairarapa branch. The general surgeon is not only new to ASMS but also to New Zealand, having arrived last March, right before lockdown. As an American she says being an SMO in a union is new and different.
Dr Thomas Carter is the new President for the MidCentral region. As an emergency doctor he was keen to step up some of the advocacy work he has already been doing within his DHB.
The new Vice President for Whakata-ne, Dr Nigel Giles,
“We don’t unionise in this way in the States, and I was interested to see what goes on behind the scenes and wanted to be a part of it.” She found the branch officers’ workshop worthwhile. “I work in a small workplace and will go back with more details and knowledge to share. I definitely feel more confident about fielding questions from colleagues and equipped to represent the union.”
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“It’s another avenue to combat the problems we face front on. “I feel the public and politicians are disconnected from individual hardship. The branch officer role will let me communicate with my colleagues more often and act as a sounding board for them.”
also put his hand up to help his fellow SMOs. “Many SMOs are feeling vulnerable, not represented and largely ignored by senior management of the DHB. The meeting was exceptional and great to know ASMS is working so hard to help us do the clinical work we love to do.”
You can find out who your branch officers are on our website www.asms.org.nz by searching “branch officers’.
