Above: Hamilton stopwork meeting on 23 July 2020

PHC MECA Update 13 August 2020

Conclusive vote to support strike action!

There was very strong participation in the ballot and the result is conclusive: 89 percent voted in favour of this unprecedented strike action.

We know you will have not taken this decision lightly but it is a very clear indication of your frustration and disappointment that you continue to be undervalued.

Of course, life has changed in the last 48 hours with Aotearoa New Zealand’s COVID-19 status and this has introduced unanticipated complexities and stressors which we can work through together.

We appreciate there will be concerned comment on the strike ballot outcome given the COVID-19 context. However, in response to those concerns we will be very clear that, a) we have been endeavouring to resolve this matter for far too long, b) we have responsibly contacted the appropriate people in undertaking this ballot; and c) that the ballot was already well underway by the time recent COVID-19 announcements were made.

Above all else we will be clear that common sense and justice must prevail, particularly when you are being called on again for your expertise to stem COVID-19. There are three weeks until the actual strike would take place on 3 September, and this is more than enough time, if the political will is there, to achieve a resolution without the strike needing to proceed. This resolution would be in the interest of all of Aotearoa New Zealand and undoubtedly would have the full support of your communities.

Where to next

When we give the formal notice of the strike we also need to advise the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. They will ask the parties to return to mediation in an attempt to resolve the matter before any strike would proceed. This will be a critical opportunity to utilise.

The focus now for NZNO and the employer representatives will be urgently contacting all relevant stakeholders about your strike ballot result and requesting urgent intervention to achieve a resolution.

If a new proposed collective agreement can be reached then there are options such as withdrawing the strike notice to enable ratification by NZNO members. But again, if there was a real intention to resolve the disparity, the Government would offer a tangible short term outcome that would lead to reconsidering strike action.

What else has happened in the last week

Last week NZNO CE Memo Musa sent correspondence to Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, Minister of Health Chris Hipkins, Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, Minister of Workplace Relations Andrew Little and Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter, seeking intervention.

We received a reply to Memo’s 15 July correspondence to Ashley Bloomfield on 7 August from Clare Perry, Acting Deputy Director-General Health System Improvement and Innovation Ministry of Health. She thanked our members for “providing essential care and keeping New Zealanders safe during this extraordinary time. …..” and “acknowledge[s] your concerns about the disparity between district health board (DHB) and primary care employed nurses. This matter is broader than just primary care nurses and must consider all nurses not employed by DHBs (i.e nurses in aged residential settings and iwi-based providers).”

This week it was also reported by the Ministry of Health that, “The Minister has agreed for the Ministry to progress further work on pay parity in relation to the health sector which we are doing."

While these are positive comments given where we started off in this campaign, we don't yet have details on what this work entails. We will keep you up-to-date as things develop.

We appreciate we are again in extraordinary times but take heart knowing we are in this together. Take care and keep safe.

Ngā mihi, 

Chris Wilson