Crest Hospital staff, who are members of NZNO, went on strike yesterday afternoon, because their employer has refused to allow them to join their collective.
Vicki Woodfield, an NZNO delegate who works as an orderly at the hospital, said orderlies, administrators, anaesthetic technicians and theatre aides were getting paid much less than others at public hospitals who did the same work.
“I am an orderly, but Crest is paying up to $5.60 an hour less than public hospitals.”
Being able to join the NZNO collective agreement would allow low-paid workers to start seeking something fairer, Woodfield said.
“We think we should be compensated properly.
“Crest has told us we can’t join the collective, but we are challenging them on that.”
About 40 of the striking workers rallied in the city to highlight their struggle this afternoon.
“We enter into mediation today. In case that doesn’t work out we have penciled in another strike for December 12,” Woodfield said.
The hospital is owned 50 per cent by Southern Cross Health Trust and 50 per cent by Central Healthcare Operations Limited (CHO), whose largest shareholders include lawyers and accountants, followed by medical professionals. CHO’s annual report is not available to the public.
NZNO delegate and nurse Susan Norma White said while nurses were already in the collective, she did not like seeing her lower-paid colleagues being blocked out of it.
“Until now, I’ve never felt the need to strike in my 51 years as a nurse. But Crest is blocking my lower-paid colleagues from joining our collective and wants to keep paying them less than public hospitals.
“I think the public will be surprised to hear private hospitals pay some staff less than public hospitals do.”
She said the public also needed to be aware that Te Whatu Ora was outsourcing work to Crest Hospital.