Warning as nurses settle

Others in sector still need issues sorted, says organisation

DHB nurses have signed on to a new pay agreement, bringing nearly a year of negotiations, including strike action, to an end. But they’ve also issued a warning that other nurses still need change.

The new offer is the fifth from District Health Boards (DHBs), and was agreed after the 30,000 New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) members voted by online ballot.

Industrial Services manager Cee Payne said there was a high turnout, and a “significant majority” was in favour.

She said they would now urgently work with DHBs to get the agreement implemented.

“Immediate attention to improving safe staffing with complete implementation of CCDM [Care Capacity Demand Management] by 2021 will address longstanding issues of workload and working conditions, which have negatively affected the quality of care nurses provide and the morale of nursing teams,” Payne said.

“The ability to realise pay equity for public sector nurses and midwives by December 2019 will address the historic undervaluing of work in a profession where the majority of employees are women, laying down a foundation for a safe and valued career in nursing.”

However, there was a warning that the issue did not stop with nurses getting their agreement signed.

NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said other nurses now needed their issues addressed.

“We have much more work to do from here to secure decent pay, safe staffing, and improved working conditions for nurses employed by Maori and iwi providers, those in primary health care, aged care, and private hospitals.

“Nurses working in these sectors equally deserve improved staffing, pay, and working conditions. Just like their DHB colleagues.”

Wellington Hospital registered ● ● ●

nurse Mel Anderson said the new agreement was a relief.

“I’m hoping that I don’t have to spend two hours finding staff for the next shift. I’m hoping that I can spend 20 minutes with a patient. That I can help educate families so they don’t come back into the hospital.

“The staffing is the most important thing. The money is good, I need money to eat and to have petrol to get in to work, but staffing is the most important so that I can do the job I love to do.”

DHB spokesman Jim Green said they welcomed the yes vote, and now needed to rebuild trust. “There’s a lot of work to be done and we’re already under way.

“The joint work on the CCDM is the first part. If that work identifies more staff are needed DHBs will also recruit them as well.”

Green said the new agreement was about valuing nurses.

“For DHBs, it’s about giving the NZNO and its members confidence we will deliver on commitments about staffing and resourcing.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern welcomed the nurses’ signoff on their pay deal, saying while not everybody would be happy with it, it was an “historic deal”.

Ardern — who gave birth at Auckland City Hospital during the negotiations period — said it had been a personally important and challenging negotiation. “While I know there will be some who think we haven’t gone far enough, and I understand that, this is an historic deal both in terms of size and I would also say in terms of quality.”

Thousands of nurses went on strike across the country last month. It was the first nurses strike in New Zealand for nearly 30 years.