NZNO organiser Danielle Davies said claims were gathered via an online survey. Currently, all Plunket nursing roles are paid at parity with equivalent roles in the 2018-2020 NZNO/district health board multi-employer collective agreement (DHB MECA). But claims relating to other conditions had emerged.
Davies said the focus of the negotiations this year would be on Family Start and administration workers. Coverage of Family Start workers in Tauranga and Manawatu was gained in the 2019 Plunket CA negotiations. The claim for these workers was pay parity with the Public Service Association’s (PSA)-negotiated rate for social workers at Oranga Tamariki. Davies said the work of Family Start workers, many of whom had social work or education backgrounds, was similar to that of Oranga Tamariki social workers but there was a huge pay gap between them.
The negotiations would also focus on administration workers’ pay and would be guided by the PSA’s pay equity case for DHB clerical workers, due to be finalised mid-year.
The CA covers around 800 members.
