Midwives strike for pay

No elective caesareans will happen and some clinic appointments will be postponed when hospital midwives strike in Canterbury and the West Coast next week.

Hospital midwives across the country are set to go on rolling eight-hour strikes from the beginning of next week. They are asking for a pay increase of about $800 a year per midwife.

The midwifery multi-employer collective agreement expired on January 31, but negotiations have failed so far.

District health boards are implementing contingency plans for the planned eighthour strike on Tuesday on the West Coast and on Wednesday in Canterbury.

Members of the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (Meras) union will join the picket line from 11am to 7pm on those days.

Union members include many of the midwives employed by district health boards. Lead maternity carers (LMCs) will not take part in the strike action.

The West Coast and Canterbury DHBs’ chief executive, Dr Peter Bramley, said the DHBs had an agreement with the union to ensure patients received safe and appropriate care during the strike period.

No elective caesareans had been scheduled for during the strike. Emergency caesareans and other clinically indicated birthing procedures would still go ahead, Bramley said.

‘‘We encourage women expecting to give birth or be in Christchurch Women’s Hospital during the strikes to talk to their LMC for reassurance. Unless advised otherwise, they should stick to their birth plan.’’

Meras spokeswoman Caroline Conroy said very few midwives would be able to walk off the job, given the requirement to maintain life-preserving services.

About 95 per cent of midwives will be required to provide life-preserving services throughout the strike action, she said.

People should access urgent and emergency care as they normally would, and other non-maternity acute care services would remain available throughout the period of the planned strikes.