Canberra public hospital doctors will take industrial action over a pay dispute, including a 15-minute work stoppage next week. The Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) members voted to implement a series of bans and stoppages, which the union says will not endanger patients.
The action begins on Friday, May 22, with staff refusing to wear badges or participate in safety and quality standard assessment interviews. From Monday, they will stop attending staff meetings, and on Tuesday, they will stop work for 15 minutes between 11:50am and 12:05pm to speak to media.
Doctors will also refuse to use Microsoft Teams from Tuesday, May 26, to Thursday, May 28, and will not attend walk-in centres on Friday, May 27. Earlier this year, four out of five ASMOF ACT members rejected the government's pay offer.
ASMOF ACT president Professor Dipti Talaulikar said doctors had little choice but to take industrial action. She noted that over the past five years, ACT doctors' wages have slipped to the second lowest in the country in one of its most expensive capitals, with young doctors reporting they cannot afford to stay in Canberra after training.
Professor Talaulikar highlighted chronic workforce shortages due to uncompetitive working conditions and pay, with both junior and senior practitioners dealing with more patients and complex cases, often performing overtime at levels unheard of ten years ago. She warned that fatigued and overworked clinicians are struggling to deliver high-quality patient care while meeting training and professional development needs.
Other ACT public servants are also taking action after refusing the government's pay offer. Public schools will be closed on Friday between 8:30am and 10:30am as teachers strike for two hours, and Housing ACT staff walked off the job on May 14, citing understaffing and demanding higher pay.
