Kia ora koutou We wanted to let you know that negotiations for your new collective agreement are now underway following the first two days of talks in Wellington last week. We put forward a comprehensive list of claims which we have divided into five parts. The principles are based on Sir Mason Durie’s model for health Te Whare Tapa Whā. The first round of negotiations focussed mainly on the overall introduction and presentation of our claims. Our MECA 2021 team is made up SMOs and SDOs from each DHB who are representing your interests at the table.
Front row: Neil Stephen Hutt Valley, Sylvia Boys Counties Manukau, Tom Morton Nelson Marlborough, Annette van Zeist-Jongman Waikato, Erna Meyer Northland, Katie Ben Nelson Marlborough, Murray Barclay Canterbury, Nathalie de Vries MidCentral, Chris Wisely Southern, Lloyd Woods ASMS
Our team is led by Senior Industrial Officer Lloyd Woods and our President, Professor Murray Barclay. The DHBs are represented by Gretchen Dean and Aaron Crawford from TAS (the Central Regional Advisory Services who negotiate on behalf of the DHBs), Sam Bartram (consultant), Kieran McCann (Chief Operating Officer, Wairarapa DHB) and Kate Coley (Executive Director Organisational Support Waikato DHB). We had respectful and thoughtful discussion throughout the two days of negotiations. The DHBs team will respond to our claims when we meet again on 3rd and 4th March, when the talks are likely to get more detailed. We will keep you posted on how the negotiations are going, so look out for another MECA Matters next month. Ngā mihi Sarah Dalton |