Junior doctors and their patients are being held hostage by primitive industrial laws
NSW needs to change its industrial laws to allow juniors doctors to choose to belong to a union other than the HSU so both the medical practitioners and their patients may benefit.
AMA (NSW) Councillor, Dr Kathryn Austin, said, “Junior doctors form the backbone of the medical workforce in public hospitals and we need effective industrial representation.
“However, the HSU represents a very broad range of professions and many junior doctors often feel as though they’ve been forgotten by the union that has been arbitrarily assigned industrial coverage for us.
“This week’s HSU conference only serves to remind me that the HSU seems more interested in internal power struggles than looking after junior doctors.
“The effectiveness of the HSU has been lacking, especially on the issues that are most important to us like access to education and safe hours.
“Junior doctors are also known as doctors-in-training and our ongoing education is very important to both our patients and our careers.
“All doctors are busy – healthcare is a 24/7 job – but we need adequate safeguards to ensure fatigue doesn’t become a problem.
“Without better industrial support from a union that shows an interest in our needs, junior doctors and their patients will continue to suffer.”
Junior doctors have been trapped within the HSU since 1998 when there was a deal between unions to swap members. Junior doctors had no say in that deal.
AMA (NSW) spokesperson, Dr Trafford Fehlberg, said, “AMA (NSW) is asking the Government to change the archaic NSW law that forces people to join the union that has coverage or none at all.
“Junior doctors have been unhappy with the level of service provided by the HSU for a long time and recent bad publicity about the union has made us more determined to be allowed to join a doctors’ union.
“Nurses have a profession-specific union as do senior doctors – it makes sense, their needs are very specific.
“We need to be able to choose to join a doctors-only union as well to ensure the issues that matter to us are dealt with effectively for both our sake and that of our patients.”
Media contacts:
Elyse Cain (02) 9902 8138 / 0419 402 955
Lachlan Jones (02) 9902 8113 / 0419 402 955
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