Maternity services set for midwives’ strike

Maternity services at Palmerston North Hospital and the Horowhenua Health Centre are gearing up for midwives to go on strike for two hours twice daily during the next fortnight.

More than 1100 members of the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) began strikes around New Zealand yesterday, with Midcentral Health midwives following a day later because of an error in their first strike notice.

Nursing and midwifery director Celina Eves said the safety of women and babies was paramount during the walk-offs.

The maternity unit at Palmerston North Hospital, and maternity services at Horowhenua Health Centre would continue to have a midwife available at all times.

Women were advised to keep scheduled appointments unless they had been contacted to say their appointment was postponed.

The first strikes at Midcentral Health will be at 9am to 11am and 9pm to 11pm today, with time slots shifting daily through to Wednesday, December 5.

MERAS industrial co-leader Jill Ovens said striking midwives would not venture far from the workplace during the strikes in case they needed to be recalled to look after women and babies.

They were striking for a better pay deal than the one settled for nurses and midwives after the recent New Zealand Nurses Organisation strikes.

Ovens said midwives had a different code of practice, different expertise and a different history to nurses, and deserved to be paid fairly for their work, qualifications and experience. Their starting pay was $49,450 a year, and the maximum was $66,000.

District health boards spokesman Jim Green said boards were working to find a settlement after a year of negotiations and urged the midwives to resume talks.