Junior doctors hope strike will settle dispute

Striking junior doctors say they hope an upcoming five-day strike will help finally settle their row with district health boards. Members of the Resident Doctors Association will walk off the job early Monday morning at all public hospitals except in Canterbury. It's the fifth strike by the doctors over a failure by both sides to agree on proposed changes to the doctors' employment contract. Urgent facilitation will occur, but not until after the next strike. A senior advocate for the union, David Munro, says DHBs could prevent the strike going ahead if they wanted to. David Munro adds DHBs want to roll-back already-agreed safer rosters. The DHBs' spokesperson, Peter Bramley, says more strikes won't end the row.