Published on April 29, 2008 at 2:53 AM
The threat of the resignation of hundreds of public sector doctors in South Australia over a pay dispute with the State Government has prompted SA Industrial Relations Minister Michael Wright to intervene and urge them to withdraw the threat in an effort to break the stalemate.
Doctors in South Australia walked off the job earlier this month demanding better pay, more clerical support and better incentives.
It is estimated that up to a third of South Australia's specialist doctors support the action and the South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA) says unless the Government improves its pay offer, there will be a mass resignation of consultant specialists.
A hearing by the Industrial Relations Commission later this week is not being viewed with optimism by the union's senior industrial officer, Andrew Murray who says as the government is reluctant to discuss all the issues, the negotiations could well collapse.
The Government's last offer for a pay rise of 33 per cent over three years was rejected by the SASMOA.
Michael Wright says the offer amounts to $242 million and threats of mass resignations does little to assist the negotiations.
Murray says members will meet again next month and the government must revise its conditional 33 per cent pay offer by then or resignations will be given and the loss of potentially 20 per cent of the consultant workforce would be nothing short of catastrophic.
Murray says unless the central issues are discussed there is no prospect of settling the dispute.