Nurses to hold stop work meetings after Te Whatu Ora offer

Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) working for Te Whatu Ora will be attending stop-work meetings next week to discuss their next steps following an offer from the public health authority.

From 29 May to 2 June, nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaimahi hauora will attend one of 57 meetings across the country to discuss their next steps in the bargaining process.

Members of NZNO are currently asking for a pay rise that is in line with the current 6.7% inflation.

“But Te Whatu Ora’s offer of $4000 this year across all rates and a further 3% next year falls well short of this figure,” an NZNO spokesperson said.

“However, Te Whatu Ora has not at all addressed members’ claims around the significant issue of safe staffing and their wellbeing at work - such as implementing a ratio-based staffing safety net and supporting health and safety representatives at work.”

NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter said nurses would much rather be working but said Te Whatu Ora’s offer “will not help them deliver the levels of care their patients deserve”.

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"We are at a time when Aotearoa desperately needs nurses and other health workers. Pay and conditions that recognise their value would make nursing more attractive and help keep the nurses we have.

"Right now, nurses do not feel safe coming into work and, ultimately, patients will pay the price for hospitals that are continuously understaffed and under-resourced."

The meetings will not be about voting on the offer or industrial action.