Occupational Therapy Clinicians' Attitudes Toward Collective Bargaining in New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

This article presents the results of an investigation of the attitudes of New South Wales occupational therapy clinicians toward collective bargaining for themselves and occupational therapy academics. Data were collected using a mailed survey instrument that included scales measuring attitudes toward collective bargaining and collecting demographic data. New South Wales clinicians are supportive of collective bargaining in general for both them­ selves and academic occupational therapists. They are, however, not sup­ portive of strike action for themselves even over serious professional issues. Level of education was found to correlate with scores on the clinical collec­ tive bargaining subscale. The decrease in health care dollars in the Australian public health sector is having, and will continue to have, a marked impact on the delivery of occupational therapy (OT) services [1]. Occupational therapy authors have called on the profes­ sion to become more politically active within the health care sector to maximize their influence over decision makers and secure the position of the profession within the public sector [2, 3]. The restructuring of the public health care system in the state of New South Wales has resulted in various levels of representation across sections of the system. The level of representation achieved has depended on the extent to which occupational therapists, in conjunction with other allied health professionals, have been able to push for management structures within their areas to ensure they are •This research was supported by a grant from the Occupational Therapists' Vocational Branch of the NSW Public Service Association.