Community Nurses Continue To Battle For Higher Wages

About 150 community health nurses employed by Access Home
Health continue with their struggle for fair wages and
respect from their employer. The nurses are members of the
New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki
o Aotearoa (NZNO).

Despite further talks following
their first strike on 15 July, Monday will see yet another
round of industrial action following a ratification ballot
this week where members voted overwhelmingly to reject the
latest offer from Access and down tools.

Union members
will hold lunchtime pickets on Monday in Petone
(Wellington), Palmerston North, Christchurch and
Invercargill calling on Access to return to the bargaining
table with a better offer.

NZNO delegate
Linda Ewbank who nurses in Taranaki says the previous strike
had resulted in an offer of $1 an hour which was turned down
as it was not close to delivering pay parity with nurses
working at Te Whatu Ora.

Ewbank said they
have been in bargaining for more than a year and in
mediation at least another three times without making
inroads.

“We do the same jobs as our colleagues in Te
Whatu Ora. We have the same training. We apply the same
skills. And we largely work on our own without immediate
support.

“It is unacceptable that a private
organisation, owned by an Australian investment company is
allowed to underpay its staff.

“Access blames the
Government for underfunding the sector. But Access is happy
to take those government contracts and underpay the nurses
at the heart of its business.

“It is unacceptable to
undervalue nurses who spend their working day caring for
vulnerable people.”

NZNO has agreed to provide life
preserving services where
needed.

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