Plan under way to cover strike

PREPARATIONS are being made to ensure lifepreserving services are maintained if nurses and other healthcare professionals take strike action on July 5, as scheduled.

Nurses and district health boards are poised to hold facilitation talks aimed at averting strike action.

The talks — which both sides are required to attend — are a good faith bargaining process which follow a course overseen by the Employment Relations Authority.

The ERA can make a nonbinding recommendation as to the bargaining process, but it is up to the parties themselves to resolve the dispute, if possible.

About 27,000 New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) members nationwide are affected by the longrunning row over their collective agreement.

DHBs recently doubled their original pay offer, but NZNO members rejected it, citing issues about levels of pay, speed of pay rises, safe staffing levels and the timetable to introduce pay equity provisions.

Not all nurses and other healthcare professionals covered by the contract will be off work if the strike does go ahead next Thursday.

Staff with specialist clinical skills would be available for emergency and essential services, but nonacute and elective procedures would likely be deferred leading up to, and after, July 5.

In the Southern DHB region, Dunedin and Southland hospitals will be most affected if the strike goes ahead, but essential and urgent services will be available.

Lakes District Hospital will also provide emergency cover.

Rural hospitals in Gore, Balclutha, Oamaru, Ranfurly and Clyde, as well as general practices and most other health services, are not affected as their staff are not part of the NZNO collective.