Above: Strike Day, 3 September, Whangarei

Kia ora Member,

We have some news!

We were advised this morning that the employer parties have been invited to meet with the Ministry of Health and DHBs next week to discuss an approach for funding pay parity.

This may provide us with the breakthrough we need, but it is still important to keep to our campaign plan until we do have the opportunity to formally discuss options that may resolve the matter.

We have also confirmed 28 September as the date for negotiations.

Union/stopwork meetings

Notice of these meetings was sent to your employers today. This is for a paid two-hour meeting on Wednesday 30 September from 10am – 12 Noon.

As indicated these meetings are planned as either a report back from resumed negotiations (if they have resumed) or to discuss and confirm next steps if we have been unable to make progress.

Further details of these meetings, including Zoom options, will be provided to you by Monday 21 September.

Next activity for you to participate in

2020 is the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and Suffrage Day  – that shining memorial to gender equality – looms on 19 September.

It is important that we, as a predominately female workforce, highlight our struggle for pay parity on the eve of Suffrage Day (Friday 18 September). So lets all wear a camelia to work on that day – they could be the traditional white or our PHC red.

Here are some options for how you and your colleagues could make your own.

1. simply cut out the patterned petals and assemble them like the example below.

2. The second flower in this 'how-to' YouTube video could be made with white tissue. It looks realistic and is simple to do (starts at 1.41).

We will send you more resources by Thursday such as a poster you can put up in your workplace on the day explaining why you are wearing your camellias, and a leaflet you can have available.

Take care and keep safe.

Ngā mihi,

Chris Wilson