The Stopwork Diaries

Dr Julian Vyas | ASMS President

Kia ora ta -tou. The recent series of stopwork meetings held around the country were far from a regular occurrence for ASMS. Many of you will be aware that the last time stopworks were called was in August 2007, after some 14 months of MECA negotiations. Issues of concern were eerily familiar – recruitment and retention of senior medical and dental staff, adequate non-clinical time, and resisting managerial attempts to devalue members’ professionalism in their duty of care to patients.

‘Diplomatic avenues’ were explored for several months after these stopworks in an effort to reboot the negotiations before members were balloted on whether to take limited strike action - 88% voted “yes”. This was an overwhelming mandate, and although industrial action never came to pass, the strength of resolve shown was enough to break the impasse. Even then, a settlement was not signed off until May 2008, and only after personal intervention from the then Minister of Health, David Cunliffe, to get an agreement across the line. Jump to early August 2021 when, in what was an impressive logistical and planning exercise, ASMS held 31 stopworks across New Zealand over a period of just nine days. The meetings were called to allow us to discuss directly with members the current position in our MECA negotiations with the DHBs (which have been conducted through their negotiating agents, TAS). As you heard at the meetings, the DHBs have repeatedly failed to put a meaningful claim on the table and members needed to signal how they want us to move forward. “Over seven days, I attended 11 meetings, from Timaru to Thames. Not quite Goodbye Pork Pie, but a great opportunity for me to hear directly from members across the motu.” Thank you to all our members who gave up their time to attend a meeting. I am also very grateful to my colleagues on the National Executive for their attendance at meetings, both locally or at other branches where possible, and for all the support from ASMS National Office staff. Over seven days, I attended 11 meetings, from Timaru to Thames. Not quite Goodbye Pork Pie, but a great opportunity for me to hear directly from members across the motu.

Takeaway lessons

What did I learn from these meetings? Not surprisingly, we are an organisation that encompasses a range of views. Some members expressed concern about industrial action harming our reputation in the eyes of the public or compromising patient care that is not classed as life preserving services. Others were very unhappy at the way that the DHBs/TAS had made counter-offers, which were generally seen as yet more prevarication rather than meaningful attempts to address the urgent problems of safe staffing, health and wellbeing, recruitment, and retention. Overall, the prevailing mood was that no matter where individuals stood on the question of preferred action to take going forward, there was a general consensus that the goodwill, professionalism, and sense of duty that senior dentists and doctors routinely exhibit has been taken for granted again and again by DHBs. No doubt the recrudescence of Covid-19 will influence members’ thoughts both in terms of how the general public will be faring during a time of increased hardship, and also what added work and risk it brings due to chronic understaffing, and the fact that our health system was ‘on the edge’ long before Covid-19 arose. To add to the complexity of the next few months, we also have the impending dissolution of DHBs and the commencement of a new national health employer, Health NZ. “…there was a general consensus that the goodwill, professionalism and sense of duty that senior dentists and doctors routinely exhibit has been taken for granted again and again by DHBs.” It will be up to your National Executive to look carefully at what the post-stopworks membership survey said and deliberate on the best course of action. At this stage, the Executive has no a priori view on the precise next steps to take. I do know that whatever decisions we ultimately make, they will be considered with full cognisance of the risks and benefits to ASMS and to our members. ‘Primum non nocere’ is something all dentists and doctors have hard-wired into their collective psyche. The Executive’s decisions on the best way(s) to achieve our MECA claims will be underpinned by this tenet and will be applied just as equally to ourselves and our colleagues as to our patients. No doubt, whatever plan is ultimately decided on will not please everyone. Nonetheless, our decision will be made in good faith. I need to stress that if we are to have any chance of success, we need all members to support the plan. A union is only ever as effective as the willingness of its membership to act collectively, and in support of one another. Kia kaha.