Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora can reassure the public that plans and mitigations are in place to manage the rolling strikes by New Zealand Nurses Organisation members across the country on different days from December 10-19, 1-5pm.
Strike action is being planned for the Bay of Plenty and Lakes regions for December 13.
"As with previous strike activity our hospitals and emergency departments will remain open, and health professionals will still be available to ensure the continued availability of health services for those who need them," said northern regional deputy chief executive Mark Sheperd.
Due to the strike activity some clinics may be closed to maintain patient safety.
Anyone with a hospital appointment on the day of the strike in their region should attend unless contacted directly by the service. Any appointments that are deferred will be rescheduled for the next available opportunity.
"We are concerned about recent incorrect claims by the NZNO on staffing levels and the use of the Care Capacity Demand Management programme," said Sheperd.
"I can reassure the public that Health NZ is committed to safe staffing, and we are not pausing the CCDM programme.
"We are undertaking a rapid improvement programme to assure the accuracy and quality of data, and the methodology used for CCDM FTE calculations."
FTE calculations will resume in the new year and be aligned to ongoing budget and planning cycles.
"We greatly value the significant contribution of our nursing workforce in helping to care for the health of New Zealanders and their communities and we are committed to reaching a settlement with NZNO.
"Any settlement needs to reflect the ongoing reset of Health NZ as we work to get back to budget and complete the restructuring underway."
Since 2011 nurse salaries have outperformed the broader labour market outcomes, as shown through comparison against the Labour Cost Index.
For registered nurses, the top salary step has risen by 45% since 2011 with an additional 25% from the recent pay equity settlement on top of that.
"We believe bargaining is the most effective way to resolve the outstanding issues and avoid any further disruption to patients and the wider health system."
Scheduled nurses strike action from 1-5pm by region
December 10 |
Auckland |
December 11 |
South Canterbury, Southern |
December 12 |
Counties Manukau, Whanganui, Wairarapa |
December 13 |
Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Hutt Valley |
December 16 |
Midcentral |
December 17 |
Northland, Waitematā, Waikato, Tairawhiti, Taranaki |
December 18 |
Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Nelson-Marlborough |
December 19 |
Hawke’s Bay, West Coast, Canterbury |
2 comments
Cooking the books
Posted on 11-12-2024 08:46 | By 2up
It now appears Mr. "I'm Sorted" Luxon is engaging in creative accounting to justify the Health system is broke and cant afford any pay increases for nurses.
Why is this "war" continuing?
Posted on 12-12-2024 17:04 | By morepork
There is no winner here. Pay these people what they are worth and strive for a more positive relationship. If there is no money and they can't be paid, then let's start an intensive "trim down" and "waste avoidance" in ALL government departments. Start with MPs and their expenses...
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