Kia ora ,

Ratification Outcome

Your ratification process has delivered a “no” vote to the proposed 2020 PHC MECA.

The employer put this forward as their final offer and while we had advocated strongly for an offer that would address equity and parity issues, this clearly falls short. 

However we were duty bound to present this offer to you with no recommendation, as per our rules, and leave it to you to decide.

Opportunities

Returning a “no” vote provides the opportunity to return to negotiations and revisit the components of the previous offer.

Recently, the Ministry of Health and the government have been praising PHC workers for the amazing frontline role you have played in stemming COVID-19. Yet an experienced nurse covered by the MECA returns to work in Level 2 is still paid 10.6 percent less than their DHB colleague with the same qualifications and experience! It should not be about where you choose to work but the value of the work you do. And clearly your work is just as valuable.

Yesterday the government also announced additional funding to early childhood centers. They stressed that the decision reflected the importance of the sector in the recovery from COVID-19, especially given that there was a shortage of early childhood teachers before the pandemic which the government did not want to see continue. Sound familiar in terms of the value that should be placed on PHC at this time?

We will be requesting a similar solution.

Where to next?

Today we will advise the employers of the outcome and request we resume negotiations as soon as possible.

Tomorrow we will issue a media release indicating the outcome of the vote and advocating the points made above.

We will advise again as soon as negotiation dates are set.

Ngā mihi

Your NZNO negotiation team: Chris Wilson, Mike Yeats, Karen Smith, Sarah Redpath and Denise Moore