PHC MECA Update 15 March 2021

Kia ora Member,

The 2019 Primary Health Care MECA is ratified

The 2019 PHC MECA has been very clearly ratified by NZNO members with 84 percent of votes in favour. Voting closed today at 5pm.

This MECA remains one of New Zealand’s largest covering around 3,400 NZNO members and some 500 employers.

The MECA will be formally signed off as soon as possible. There are a number of signatories so this may take around two weeks.

The term of the MECA is from the date of ratification (15 March 2021) to 31 August 2021. However, the wage increases are backdated as follows:

Registered Nurse/Practice Nurse/Midwife Scale

• A 2.5% increase on the MECA printed rates backdated to 6 January 2020
• A further 2% increase on the MECA printed rates backdated to 1 September 2020
• New Step 6 backdated to 1 February 2021 of $36.02 (a further 3% on the MECA printed rates and DHB/NZNO MECA Parity). This is a total of 7.75% increase ($5,400 per annum) on the current MECA Step 5.

Coordinator / Lead Nurse / Nurse Team Leader or similar:

• A 2.5% increase on the MECA printed rate backdated to 6 January 2020
• A further 2% increase on the MECA printed rate backdated to 1 September 2020
• A further 3% increase on the MECA printed rate backdated to 1 February 2021.

 Enrolled Nurse Scale

• A 2.5% increase on the MECA printed rates backdated to 1 September 2019
• A further 2% increase on the MECA printed rates backdated to 1 September 2020

Medical Receptionist/Administration Staff Scale

• A 2.5% increase on the MECA printed rates backdated to 1 September 2019
• A further 2% increase on the MECA printed rates backdated to 1 September 2020.

Our campaign

There is no doubt that our collectivism and campaigning has seen this positive outcome and achievement. Well done to all who supported and participated!

For the first time the Ministry of Health and DHBs publicly announced in September 2020 that pay parity in primary health care needed to occur and that they would work on this. We then achieved additional funding for a pay parity step for the very first time.

The 2021 PHC MECA expectation will be further pay parity advancement  with, for example, RN Step 7 implemented.

Next steps

Once signed, copies of the MECA should be supplied by your employer. They will also be available on request from NZNO and will be posted on the NZNO website.

We will update members once it is all signed. In the meantime the tracked change MECA can be found here.

We will now proceed as soon as possible to the agreed work namely:

Health Care Assistants / Practice Assistants (or similar roles)

During the term of the MECA the parties will undertake a joint exercise to scope the nature of these roles within primary health care to inform future bargaining.

Nurse Practitioners and Designated RN Prescribers

During the term of the MECA the parties will undertake a joint exercise to scope the nature of these roles within primary health care to inform future bargaining.

Ngā mihi,

Chris Wilson on behalf of your negotiation team