A three-day strike will be underway in the next few hours, with more than 5,000 public hospital doctors across New South Wales walking off the job.
The union wants a 30 percent increase, and the government has countered this with a 10.5 percent rise over three years.
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NSW Health Minister Ryan Park says they are still willing to negotiate and there will be a significant impact on the health system.
“I’m not going to stand here and have the community think for one moment that thousands of doctors can be taken offline… and patient safety won’t be impacted or won’t be at risk. I can assure you it will be,” said Park.
A strike earlier this year by psychiatrists in New South Wales threatened a mass resignation over pay and conditions.
It also outlined major staff shortages putting an immense amount of stress on the system.
A junior NSW doctor told The Briefing, “[I’ve] had times where I’ve worked 70-hour weeks because of unrostered overtime”.
The doctor said all they’re asking for is safe working conditions, and pay and leave parity with other states.
“safe doctors = safe patients”, they wrote.
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