Stalling tactics revealed in union’s war plan to prolong Queensland doctors pay deal dispute #qldpol #smoqld #keepourdoctors
A NSW union official plotted to drag out negotiations on Queensland doctor contracts to block a deal with the “fascist” Newman Government.
A series of email exchanges between doctors, obtained by The Courier-Mail, has revealed they formed a “war cabinet” and as early as January were planning to stall negotiations to the “bitter end”.
Dr Tony Sara, NSW-based president of the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation, who wrote many of the emails, attacked the Australian Medical Association Queensland for its “apparent failure to act on behalf of the profession”.
The emails also reveal doctors had developed a list of deal breakers – referred to as the “over-my-dead-body list” by one local specialist – which they intended to keep secret until late in the talks.
The warfare tactics were mapped out by early January when negotiations over plans to move public hospital doctors to individual contracts were just in their infancy.
Dr Sara last night defended the emails, saying the medical profession had already been backed into a corner by the Government by January.
He said the war cabinet was renamed the SMO (senior medical officer) taskforce after some “kick back” from AMAQ members about wanting a more inclusive body.
He said he only advised doctors to keep their cards close to their chest because members were yet to receive legal advice on contract issues.
But Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said the emails exposed how “interstate union thugs hijacked the agenda of the highly respected medical profession”.
“These emails show that there was a deliberate political agenda, right from the beginning, to drag out discussions for pure political purposes and to cause maximum angst in the community and among doctors themselves,” he said.
In one email, Dr Sara warns doctors to move slowly to avoid Queensland Health responding to their concerns before they are ready.
“Hinting to and ‘clarifying’ with QH (Queensland Health) what the drop dead list is one thing – making it an ultimatum with too much finality is yet another as it may prompt a response that catches you before u r ready? (sic),” he writes. “This has got some months to drag out..?”
Australian Society of Anaesthetists Queensland chairwoman Dr Nicole Fairweather responds to Dr Sara by raising concerns that dragging it out would affect livelihoods and force senior doctors who fail to sign by the deadline to take a 33 per cent pay cut.
“I for one am willing to take this hit. Many would not be able to afford to do so,” she says
Source: Courier Mail