Act: doctors group seeks registration as union

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-2003
Act: doctors group seeks registration as union

A move by a group of Canberra doctors to form a union is being met with resistance
from the ACT Labor government.

It's expected the Australian Industrial Relations Commission will finish deliberations
tomorrow on an application by the Visiting Medical Officers Association of the ACT to
become a union.

But the ACT government is opposing the move, saying it believes doctors are contractors,
not employees.

The association's spokesman Dr PETER HUGHES has told ABC radio that under new ACT laws
doctors are allowed to bargain collectively but not take industrial action.

However ACT Health Minister SIMON CORBELL says the government believes visiting doctors
are not employees, but contractors providing services to the government.

He says for this reason it's inappropriate that they have a union, which is an opportunity
reserved for employees.

AAP RTV dep/sb/rp

KEYWORD: DOCTORS (CANBERRA)

2003 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.