Junior doctors win free drinks case

A row over whether junior doctors should get $250,000 worth of free drinks a year has damaged their relationship with the Canterbury District Health Board, their association says.

The Resident Doctors' Association (RDA), representing 460 Canterbury junior doctors, took a case against the board for failing to consult before withdrawing pre-packaged drinks from the free meals doctors are entitled to.

The association said it was important for busy doctors to keep well hydrated.

The Employment Relations Authority has ruled that the board breached its obligations as an employer and ordered it to have "informed and meaningful consultation" with doctors on the drinks issue.

Junior doctors have had free meals as part of their contract for the past 50 years, and drinks have been included since 2000.

Removing drinks from the menu would save the board at least $250,000 a year, which would be spent on patient care.

The association argued this was a fundamental change to doctors' conditions and they should have been consulted.

The authority agreed, saying a "good and fair employer" would have consulted the association.

"It is absolutely plain from the paper trail that the board had no intention of engaging with the RDA on a consultation process until it was, in effect, found out," the decision said.

Association spokeswoman Deborah Powell said members were angry with the board.

"Not just because of the action itself, but how it was done," she said.

"The lack of genuine engagement sent a very poor message. We are hoping to get over that and rebuild, and hopefully the board will do the same.

"It has damaged the relationship and we do need to repair that."

Powell said all other health boards offered drinks as part of free meals. Junior doctors often worked 12-hour shifts, with no breaks, and were required to move all over the hospital to see patients, she said.

They needed bottled drinks with them to keep hydrated.

The $250,000 cost of providing drinks was much less than the cost of giving doctors meal breaks, Powell said.

"Keeping them well hydrated, given the way they work, is important to patients," she said. "You don't want doctors to be hungry and thirsty."

She said doctors had been invoiced for their drinks since the board's decision came into effect last November, but they had not paid.

Board human resources general manager Allan McGilvray said: "The judge has left the door open for more consultation with the work force and it would not be appropriate for the board to comment at the moment."

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