Mammographers in the South who work for Pacific Radiology, and who are part of the Apex union, went on strike yesterday to protest over their pay rates.
Their counterparts in Christchurch, Timaru and Nelson were to follow suit today.
Most appointments had been rebooked within four weeks of their original bookings, Pacific Radiology said in a statement.
Plans had been put in place to ensure minimal impact to patient lists and services, the company said.
The backlog of screenings was low for Dunedin and Invercargill, the company said.
Apex has said mammographers who ran diagnostic mammograms and state-funded breast cancer screening were paid up to 14% less than their counterparts in district health boards for doing the same work.
Union senior advocate Luke Coxon said Pacific Radiology was aware its mammographers were underpaid and the company could afford to pay market rates.
‘‘We expect to get an offer from the company,’’ Mr Coxon said.
Whether it would be good enough would become evident soon, he said.
Pacific Radiology said it would work with the union in good faith towards producing a collective employment agreement.
Two dates had been agreed for bargaining in March.
‘‘Pacific Radiology has a commitment to paying its people fairly across all aspects of our business for the important work they do for our patients.’’
Mammographers went on strike for a day in December and had partial strikes last week.
Mr Coxon said profits were being prioritised at the expense of New Zealand’s breast-cancer screening programme.
There was also a national shortage of mammographers, he said.
