South Australian doctors offered 13 per cent pay rise over four years
The South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA) and the state government have come to an "in principle" agreement of a 13 per cent wage rise over four years for all doctors.
Doctors had been asking for a 30 per cent pay rise over three years and were due to strike tomorrow, after negotiations between the union and the government broke down.
A stop-work meeting will still be held to discuss the deal.
The government said the latest offer would provide a wage increase "over and above inflation".
"It represents the government negotiating in good faith to honour our commitment for real wage increases but ones that are affordable for the budget so that we can keep on with the task of building a bigger and better health system," SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said.
"Junior doctors in South Australia under this agreement will go from bottom of the pack to top half of the pack in terms of pay scale across the country."
SASMOA president Laura Willington said the deal was an "attractive package" for junior doctors but acknowledged other states are also negotiating their enterprise bargaining agreements.
"This is going to be very important for retaining these staff in South Australia as they will be the future doctors providing care for patients in South Australia," she said.
The proposed salary increase for doctors over the next four years will be broken down to 3.5 per cent backdated to April 2025, 3.25 per cent each for the second and third year and 3 per cent for the fourth year.
The deal also includes an increase of professional development payments from $8,500 to $10,000 and more dedicated time for non-clinical work which the union says "involves research, teaching and quality improvement projects".
Attorney-General Kyam Maher said regional doctors would be offered more incentives as part of the agreement.
"This provides that attraction and retention to almost $40,000 a year to try and attract doctors to our regional areas," he said.
Ms Willington said the SASMOA council has endorsed the offer and has suspended strike action for six weeks before members vote.
She said tomorrow's stop-work meeting would have "minimal" impact on healthcare as some elective surgeries have been postponed and patients have been informed.
Meanwhile 200 hospital workers from the Flinders Medical Centre, the Repat and Noarlunga Hospital are on strike on Tuesday amid negotiations on wage and work conditions.
United Workers Union (UWU) SA state secretary Demi Pnevmatikos said "impossible workloads and chronic short staffing" have contributed to delays in emergency departments when cubicles are not cleaned in time and patients are waiting to be moved.
The union said workers at Whyalla's hospital hand-folded laundry covering 100 beds after its linen folding machine malfunctioned regularly.
At the Women's and Children's Hospital, one theatre orderly was rostered to cover up to five surgical rooms, depending on demand.
"Hospitals are routinely running now 50 per cent short in staff," Ms Pnevmatikos told ABC Radio Adelaide.
The union has been asking for a 20 per cent pay rise for hospital workers since February, saying a hospital cleaner earns about $55,000 a year in South Australia while a theatre technician's salary is about $60,000.
Ms Pnevmatikos said they are hearing members have had to get a second job because wages have dropped to "record lows".
"These workers are being paid at least 20 per cent less than the next lowest paid [workers] in another state," she said.
Mr Maher said the government was "very close" to coming to an agreement for disability and aged care workers in negotiations with the UWU.
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