PHC MECA Update 1 July 2020

Kia ora koutou,

As you were aware we had Mediation yesterday. We did not achieve a resolution as it remains very clear that additional funding is required to enable pay parity.

This means we need to step up our campaign and show the powers that be that we are very serious about pay parity being achieved forthwith so we are appropriately valued for the front line health work we do.

Union meetings

Under the Employment Relations Act 2000 all union members in New Zealand are entitled to at least two union meetings (each a maximum of two hours duration) per calendar year without loss of ordinary pay. The requirements for these meeting include NZNO needing to give your employer at least 14 days notice of the meetings and to ensure there is sufficient staff coverage in the workplace over the time of the meeting if that is needed.

Therefore as the next step in the campaign we will be holding two-hour NZNO meetings in this regard on the same day, at the same time, across Aotearoa New Zealand. Whilst union meetings such as this have been held in other sectors of NZNO this will be the first time this has occurred for the PHC MECA –  and this does make a very clear statement.

We will be noting this to the Prime Minister, other relevant Ministers, the Chief Nurse and the Director General of Health.

The objective will be for as many NZNO members as possible to leave every workplace for two hours to attend a meeting. These will be offsite meetings in as many centres as is possible to resource, and Zoom options will be available where this is not possible.

This requires a good deal of co-ordination so full details confirming the date and time (and any other relevant information) will be provided to you in a further Update on Friday of this week.

Petition and posters

Please keep encouraging patients, clients, whānau and friends to sign the petition. We now have more than 9000 signatures, but we need more and quickly to keep the pressure on as we lead up to the NZNO meetings.

We have adjusted your posters so they are current and can remain up in the workplace highlighting the issues and the request to sign the petition. So please download these and have these where patients can view them and if possible get them to sign the petition on their phones on the spot. We have also created slips here that can be given to patients with the petition address.  

Your employer should be supportive of the posters being placed up, and of patients/clients being asked to sign. Employers have been encouraged to do this by the NZ Medical Association and Green Cross Health Limited.

Pay parity is a shared issue!

Ngā mihi

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