Primary care nurses go on strike for pay parity
Taupō nurses part of 4200 involved in 20 strikes organised across NZ
Taupō ’s primary healthcare nurses held a four-hour strike last Thursday, October 27 over a lack of pay parity with their Health NZ Te Whatu Ora counterparts.
Their action was among more than 20 strikes across the nation, organised by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).
The strike aims to draw attention to the lack of government funding to primary healthcare providers, which would enable practices to raise wages in line with Te Whatu Ora’s current pay rates.
Primary healthcare nurses across New Zealand typically earn between 10 and 20 per cent less than their hospitalbased colleagues, according to the NZNO.
They say the rising cost of living, along with stagnating pay means that many nurses are choosing to relocate to hospital roles to offset costs.
This is having knock-on effects for staffing levels nationally, sometimes leading to reduced services and longer waiting times for patients.
The strike included nurses from Plunket, marking their first walkout in 35 years.
Nurses there were overwhelmingly in favour of action, with 89 per cent voting in favour of a strike, along with 92 per cent of their primary healthcare counterparts.
In Taupō , around one-third of the NZNO’s workforce was represented on Thursday.
This included staff from Taupō Health Centre, Taupō Medical Centre and from Plunket.
They were joined by around 4200 nurses around New Zealand.
There is likely to be further strike action if the NZNO’s demands are not met, they have warned.