Midwives push for action on pay
Midwives have launched a new campaign pushing for fair pay and working conditions.
Midwives have ‘‘no choice’’ but to go to the public for help and support, College of Midwives chief executive Alison Eddy said. ‘‘We need the public to back midwives so that politicians can hear our voices.’’ Maternity services in Lumsden, the Hutt Valley and O¯ po¯tiki have struggled with midwife availability and resourcing, raising fears women and babies could be harmed.
Throughout the country, birthing centres and communities had greatly reduced maternity services, and the struggles had closed some smaller birthing centres, Eddy said.
After four years of negotiations, a community midwifery service agreement with the Ministry of
Health had still not been reached.
‘‘Community midwives have been waiting for more than four years for a resolution to the issues,’’ Eddy said.
Midwives were workforce.
‘‘It’s not that they don’t love the work that they do, and they’re absolutely committed to it, but their working conditions are just becoming unsustainable.
‘‘They’re not paid fairly and properly for the level of responsibility they have.’’
leaving
the
If nothing changed, more midwives would leave, she said.
The campaign, #backmidwives, was launched this morning.
It includes a petition – open until March next year – calling for the Government to revise its funding model for communitybased midwifery services.
The college wants an organisation established to support community midwives, as well as ensuring they received fair and reasonable pay.
Birthing
women
across
the country have reported difficulties finding a community midwife to act as their lead maternity carer.
As a result, many have had to rely on stretched hospital midwifery services, leading to ‘‘fragmented care’’.
Eddy said the workforce shortages had contributed to the continued decline in maternity care seen in birthing centres and in communities. ‘‘We need to be able to continue to provide the services that New Zealand women and their babies need.’’