Hundreds march in Christchurch
There were tears of pride and passion as nurses left their wards for their first 24-hour nationwide strike in 30 years.
Emotions rose as picketers swelled into their hundreds outside many of the South Island’s public hospitals yesterday.
Outside Christchurch Hospital, nurses from Burwood, Ashburton, Hillmorton and Christchurch hospitals chanted for fair pay and more staff.
About 1000 people marched through Hagley Park in a show of unity that made registered mental health nurse Rita Williams proud. ‘‘You can hear the passion in people’s chanting, everyone is on the same page and they want it now.’’
Registered nurse Jacqui Bennetts walked off the ward that morning, a difficult move that she just had to make.
The issues exposed during the so-far failed collective contract talks showed nurses had been pushed up against the wall, Bennetts said.
She and other nurses needed to ‘‘stand in defence of our patients and the care they must have’’.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Canterbury regional chairwoman Cheryl Hanham said nurses were out in numbers.
‘‘They say constantly for us to use our voices, you can’t get any louder voices than our nurses standing together today and shouting.’’
She held back tears as she described how it felt to see nurses ‘‘standing together in solidarity to actually shout out for help’’.
‘‘Today we are in a place where people go to work and are assaulted and unsafe so we can’t give our patients the care they need. I want our Government to hear this shout, I want them to have a wee look at what they offer us.’’
Jacki Pringle was one of about 50 picketing outside Timaru Hospital. The nurse of 18 years said the situation was at breaking point.
‘‘The staff shortages are such that it’s got to the stage that it’s a genuine safety risk. IIt has been years of neglect. Nurses are united. The pressures are intolerable.’’