Lab. staff may go on strike

Press, 14 January 1986, Page 5

Lab. staff may go on strike

Laboratory technologists will meet next week to decide whether they will take industrial action over the breakdown of their award talks. The Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology Council has called urgent meetings of its 1500 members throughout New Zealand to get their approval to give their employers 14 days notice of industrial action.

The institute’s vice-presi-dent, Mr Kevin McLoughlin, said yesterday that Christchurch members would meet on Monday. Talks with the Health Services Personnel Commission broke down last week, he said.

Mr McLoughlin would not give details of the commission’s wage offer, saying only that the offer, over and above the 19.5 per cent annual general adjustment for State servants in the

health services, was not acceptable. Laboratory technologists Erovide services such as lood transfusion, blood screening and biochemical tests.

The extent of the action would be decided at the meetings, he said.

A meeting of 300 Auckland medical laboratory workers last evening voted almost unanimously in favour of giving 14 days notice of a strike.

The national vice-presi-dent of the Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, Mr Walter Wilson, said the vote was an attempt to activate some meaningful negotiations. “We seriously hope we do not end up having to go on strike, everyone is gravely concerned about that situation, but the resolve is there,” Mr Wilson said.