With Te Whatu Ora collective bargaining sparking up again on Thursday, the NZNO team held a planning hui in Wellington.
The team spoke to Kaitiaki ahead of the restart of bargaining, to thank members, fellow unions and the wider community for their support.
However for one nursing team-member, just getting to the planning meeting came with a lesson in the ongoing need for safe-staffing numbers.
NZNO vice president Nano Tunnicliff, a registered nurse at Kenepuru community hospital in Porirua, was still dressed in her nursing gear at the hui.
“So one of our key claims for bargaining is safe staffing. And as you can see, I am in my uniform — this morning I was unable to be released from work.
“So I had to look after patients and then catch the train then to join the rest of the bargaining.”
Bargaining resumes after a double-whammy of strikes last week that saw 36,000-plus members walk out of hospitals around the country on Tuesday and Thursday.
It turned up the heat after a strike in July, the release of damning safe-staffing numbers by Te Whatu Ora, and news that mid-year nursing graduates were struggling to find jobs.
Ahead of bargaining, team member Al Dietschin said the strikes in Christchurch were he works as a healthcare assistant had been amazing.
“The support from the public and the other unions was top-notch.”
Safe staffing and patient safety have been key elements of NZNO members’ demands.
See our video of NZNO’s bargaining team thanking members, the public and other unions for the support during last week’s strike here.