“The government continues to undervalue our work”
Staff Reporter
Wellington, May 24, 2020
After prolonged negotiations, Primary Health Care nurses have voted down a final offer from employers of 2.5% and 2% pay increases over two years.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has been negotiating the Primary Health Care Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (PHC MECA) since November last year.
The MECA covers more than 3400 nurses, receptionists and administrators across more than 500 practices and accident or medical centres.
A NZNO notification said that despite approaches to the Health Minister, the Ministry of Health and DHB officials by NZNO and organisations such as the New Zealand Medical Association, Green Cross Limited and General Practice NZ, the additional funding needed to achieve pay parity with DHB nurses has not been forthcoming.
Employers’ final offer
NZNO Industrial Adviser Chris Wilson said that in March this year, employers gave their final offer based on what they say they can currently afford, but it was clearly insufficient.
“We have advocated strongly for an offer that would put primary Health Care nurses on a salary par with their DHB counterparts, but this offer falls woefully short and accordingly our members have voted it down. An experienced nurse covered by the PHC MECA is currently paid 10.6% less than their DHB colleague with the same qualifications and experience. This disparity can and must be fixed, and it really comes down to funding and political will,” she said.
Work undervalued
Ms Wilson said that despite the advocacy of NZNO and widespread recognition of their valuable work, especially on the frontline against Covid-19, the government continues to undervalue the work of PHC nurses and the sector by not funding the gap that will secure pay parity.
It is time to this recognition and praise were matched by pay, she said.
“There was a post-Budget pledge of more funding to Early Childhood Centres in recognition that they were undervalued and of their importance in the recovery from Covid-19. That is a great outcome for them and it shows that the government is capable of addressing pay inequities. There are clear parallels here to primary health care and we would like to see a similar solution found,” Ms Wilson said.
Fight of human capital
Earlier this year NZNO surveyed its members covered by the PHC MECA and 70% of respondents said that they were considering leaving the sector because of higher pay elsewhere.
Many nurse leaders said in the survey that they are struggling to recruit new nurses or keep the ones they already have.
“These nurses provide expert care and advice which often reduces hospital admissions. Fewer nurses will mean these services become less available and more expensive. Not only is the pay inequality an injustice, it ultimately costs the system more in the long-term. We cannot let this go on,” Ms Wilson said.
NZNO will resume negotiations as soon as possible in an endeavour to reach a proposed collective agreement that values Primary Health Care workers’ contribution to delivering a quality service at the frontline of health.
