Nurses’ strike still on the cards

WELLINGTON: The twoday nurses’ strike looks likely after the New Zealand Nurses Organisation said it was ‘‘distressed’’ and ‘‘disappointed’’ by the DHBs’ revised pay offer announced first to media on Monday.

DHBs offered a 3% pay rise over the next 18 months, or the equivalent of bringing $250 million more to the table, spokeswoman Helen Mason said.

Ms Mason said an average takehome pay for fulltime experienced registered nurses would be $93,000 a year by December 2019.

But NZNO industrial services manager Cee Payne said those numbers were ‘‘alarming’’.

She said those numbers were hypothetical and ‘‘best case’’ scenarios, which could only occur many, many months down into the term of the agreement.

‘‘The hypothetical $93,000 came from an example of a nurse working full time, with some overtime and significant weekend and night work.

‘‘The reality is that the majority of nurses in this bracket are not full time and not working rostered shifts on top of this.

‘‘Most of our members report these numbers are entirely misleading compared to their rostered hours,’’ Ms Payne said.

The organisation was disappointed the offer was released to the media before NZNO members, which had jeopardised the organisation’s ability to negotiate.

‘‘We are disappointed at this DHB approach to the offer.

‘‘At present we are experiencing the fallout of the way the information about the revised offer was released,’’ she said.

NZNO will be working through the offer and will present a decision tomorrow. — NZME