Nurses' union rejects DHB pay offer, seeks mediation

ROSS GIBLIN/STUFF
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation announces its members have rejected a revised DHBs offer, opening the door to strike action.

The nurses union has "strongly rejected" a district health board pay and conditions offer and is seeking urgent mediation to stave off nationwide strikes.

But the Government says it is "preparing for the worst" because there is no more money to offer. 

On Monday, Health Minister David Clark poured cold water on nurses' hopes of gaining much more on a pay deal that was doubled on the one prior. The latest deal was more than what was recommended by an independent panel set up to try and navigate through an apparent impasse between the unions and district health boards (DHBs).  

NZNO industrial services manager Cee Payne announces the results from the latest pay offer to nurses.
ROSS GIBLIN/STUFF
NZNO industrial services manager Cee Payne announces the results from the latest pay offer to nurses.

But New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) industrial services manager Cee Payne announced nurses had overwhelmingly rejected the pay offer, saying "the past decade of underfunding of DHBs has taken a heavy toll on nurses and their ability to provide safe patient care".

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The $500 million package was the biggest pay offer nurses had seen in more than a decade. It included three 3 per cent pay increases, a $2000 lump sum and the creation of two new pay steps for nurses.

CAMERON BURNELL/STUFF
Deputy PM Winston Peters and Health Minister David Clark respond to the sticking point over nurses pay negotiations

It also included the promise of about 500 new nurses into circulation and a pledge to work towards pay equity for the profession.

'IT TAKES TIME TO FIX NEGLECT'

Clark said contingency planning for strikes was "well advanced". While he was encouraged by joint efforts for mediation, the Government was "preparing for the worst". 

ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF
DHBs spokeswoman Helen Mason holds a press conference in response to the nurses' union rejecting the DHBs' offer.

"I think expectations are high and I don't blame people for being hopeful, but we've been really clear that we've put our best offer out there in terms of the DHBs and the Government has taken a decision in this process, to put forward an extra quarter of a billion dollars – nearly doubling the deal – for this best offer.," he said.

"People have to know that that's the money that's available and that's the situation we're in."

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters echoed those comments, saying there were many competing interests the Government had to consider. 

RNZ
Nurses have rejected the latest pay offer, and a strike in July is looming.

"We won't be able to fix all the problems in just one pay round – it takes time to fix neglect. We need to balance competing priorities and make sure we have the money aside for a rainy day."

Rainy days included unforseen costs born out of natural disasters like the recent mycoplasma bovis incursion, that was hitting the dairy industry. There were also a number of other pay negotiations with teachers and other public service groups in the pipeline.

"This Government will exercise fiscal constraint; we have to balance the books and run a strong economy in order to afford the pay claims public servants are making," Peters said.

'NO MONEY LEFT'

DHBs spokeswoman Helen Mason said there would be further mediation with NZNO, but made clear that no more money would be put on the table.

"The DHBs are going to be working very hard to do everything we can to reach settlement. Whilst we are hoping for the best, we need to plan for the worst," she said.

"I think a lot of our conversations are going to be about ensuring nurses are feeling really confident that DHBs are putting something additional on the table that wasn't there before. That's about the safe staffing programme, it's also about pay equity."

Mason said the DHBs primary concern was to ensure "safe services" if it came down to industrial action for the first time in 30 years.

Concerns were being taken seriously and steps were being made to address them, she said, before saying the current offer was the only one on the table.

"It's a very good offer, it's actually an excellent offer. We've essentially doubled the offer."

STRIKE ACTION POSSIBLE

At a press conference in Wellington on Monday, Payne said the NZNO was surveying members, alongside the setting up of urgent mediation or facilitation, to seek clarity about the specific issues they wanted addressed in order to settle with the DHBs.

"The immediate staffing crisis as a result of the past decade of underfunding of DHBs has taken a heavy toll on nurses and their ability to provide safe patient care," she said.

"Nurses and midwives do not trust that their work environment or patient care will improve in the short term."

Payne said there was an "exceptionally high turnout", but wouldn't give a breakdown of the votes.

"Members are very keen to be engaged in this dispute."

The union was hoping to start mediation by the end of this week, at the earliest.

NZNO chief executive Memo Musa said strike action was the last resort, but could still happen.

National Party health spokesman Michael Woodhouse said it was up to the Government to intervene and ensure strike action did not proceed.

Clark had the ability to address the demands being made by the nurses' union, but was admitting defeat, he said.

"He [Clark] created the problem by promising the world and then prioritising billions in other spending and he now needs to fix it."

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said for nurses to reject an offer of nine per cent over 15 months reveals how undervalued they feel after nine years of "squeezing" by National.

The 29,500 NZNO members had earlier voted to strike for two days in July, dependent on results of the new collective agreement offer.

The strikes were scheduled for July 5 and 12, to run for 24 hours from 7am. The decision was made based on a 30-day ballot that went out to NZNO members on April 23.

The last nurses' strike was in 1989.

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