NEW work contracts affecting more than 240 Cairns doctors will be re-sent as Health Minister Lawrence Springborg shows signs of buckling to medical officers’ demands.
SENIOR DOCTORS MOVE TOWARD RESIGNATION
REPLACEMENT PLAN A JOKE SAY MEDICS
The drawn-out controversy over individual work agreements has prompted local doctors to threaten mass resignations later this month because of what they say are unfair work conditions, changes to industrial relations laws and linking profitability with patient care.
But Mr Springborg said weeks of meetings had led to merging addendum provisions with contracts which will be reissued statewide to ease friction between doctors and the government.
Mr Springborg said the term “profitability” would be removed from the contracts and key performance indicators would not be implemented until 2016.
“I recognise that phraseology (profitability) has caused concern among some doctors and following a review of other provisions in the contract, the government has agreed to delete any such reference,’’ Mr Springborg said.
FORMER PATIENTS JOIN RALLY AGAINST DOCTOR CONTRACTS
RESIDENTS BACK DOCTORS ACCORDING TO POLL
NO CURE OVER CONTRACT DEADLOCK FOR DOCTORS
“These changes remove the remaining doubts,” he said.
“They provide reassurance that any continuation of the damaging campaign currently advocated by unions is unnecessary.”
Keep Our Doctors representative and Cairns doctor Sean McManus said medicos remained wary about the changes until the new agreements had been assessed by an independent legal team.
“We are waiting to see whether the written offer is equivalent to what was spoken,’’ Dr McManus said.
“There are still lots of issues which will only be addressed by good faith negotiations.
“We remain sceptical.”
Doctor lobby groups are expected to meet to night to discuss the changes further.
Senior and visiting medical officers will be given until April 30 to sign and submit their contracts which will take effect from July 7.
Source: Cairns Post