Lab. technologists to boycott graduation

Press, 20 February 1986, Page 5

Lab. technologists to boycott graduation

Newly qualified medical laboratory technologists will boycott their graduation ceremony at Christchurch Hospital this evening.

The graduates are taking the action in protest about the response of the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett, to their present wage round. Dr. Bassett will be a guest speaker at this evening’s function -which will mark ' the annual graduation of medical laboratory technologists, radiographers, and dietitians from Christchurch Hospital. The vice-president of

the New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Technologists, Mr Kevin McLoughlin, said the technologists had decided that boycotting the ceremony would be more effective than picketing or holding a demonstration. He said the Minister had previously said he would support the technologists ,in._ their negotiations; but chosen to ignore this in the present wage round. “The laboratory workers feel cheated,” said Mr McLoughlin. “They feel so strongly that they feel that they cannot turn up to a meet-

ing where he (Dr Bassett) is to be a guest speaker.” He said they had had a “distinct lack of support” compared with co-opera-tion given by the Minister during the recent negotiations of the doctors’ and nurses’ wages. Mr McLoughlin said the technologists.. had been offered an.;urgent tribunal hearing by the Public Sector Tribunal, but this had not been finalised. - All 15 of the graduates voted to boycott the ceremony. Mr McLoughlin said it was possible another ceremony would be held.