Victorian doctors and allied health professionals strike amid ongoing pay disputes

Thousands of doctors and allied health professionals are undertaking industrial action, stopping work today to protest stalled pay deals. Doctors are downing tools for four hours, while allied health professionals are on strike for 24 hours, as government negotiations with both cohorts stretch out for more than a year. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt says discussions with the Australian Medical Association on securing a deal are ongoing. Thousands of doctors and allied health professionals at Victoria's public hospitals have walked off the job today, as year-long bargaining processes with the government over pay and conditions remain at a standstill. Doctors across the state will undertake a four-hour work stoppage from 1:30pm to 5:30pm, while allied health professionals will strike for a full 24 hours. Hospital emergency departments will be excluded from the work stoppage, with staffing across hospitals remaining at Saturday levels to protect patient safety and welfare. The Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association (VAHPA) said exemptions to the stop work would apply in certain sectors such as emergency care, neo-natal, maternity and paediatric patients, and units with high dependency patients such as oncology, coronary and palliative care to ensure patients are not affected. The Australian Medical Association's (AMA) Victorian branch president Simon Judkins said today's protest by doctors came as a last resort following "over 60 meetings and six months of promises that an offer was imminent". "Doctors do not want to be attending protests. They want to be in their hospitals doing what they've dedicated their lives to, and that's caring for their patients," Dr Judkins said. "But the reality is, they cannot do that job properly and safely with the unsustainable working conditions and staffing the government has provided." Dr Judkins said the AMA was calling for conditions consistent with other emergency services, including a 12.5-hour cap on shifts and guarantee of three consecutive days off during a fortnight of work. Government yet to put deal on table, doctor's union says Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the government was speaking with the AMA about its concerns, and hoped both parties would reach a resolution soon. "Those discussions are progressing well and I'm absolutely focused on making sure that they result in a settlement that everybody is comfortable with," Ms Stitt said. Ms Stitt said strong plans were in place to ensure patient safety during the strike, and confirmed hours of work and doctor fatigue formed part of the discussions. However, the health minister could not confirm if the government had made any offers in the past 14 months, and the AMA said no offer had yet been received from the government. The doctors strike coincides with a 24-hour strike by allied health professionals, who are yet to secure a deal with the government after 12 months of negotiations. Members of VAHPA, which represents professions such as radiographers, physiotherapists and social workers, have gone on strike at 43 public sector hospitals in the state. VAHPA secretary Aneta Menkinoska said Victorian allied health professionals were among the worst paid in the country. “Highly experienced clinicians are leaving the workforce due to burnout and unreasonable workloads. It’s not sustainable," she said. “Poor pay means we cannot retain and attract staff to fill the gaps. Why would you bother getting a four-year degree to be paid so poorly?" [Image text:] FIX NOT.HAPI CLINICALLY STRAINED OSI IFINANCIALLY CHRON STRAINED ISE UNDERPAY RIONT TO PHYS JAB B AIR OTS CH RIGHTCA RIGHT TII RIGHT PLA F WITHOUI RIGHTP NOMOREBND AIDS IXAEALER HX VAHPA ERANDAN KAELER ELIE