Primary health nurses ‘hōhā’ with three per cent offer

“So many of our members are feeling hōhā – they are fed up having to prove that every nurse, everywhere should be paid the same. This injustice has been going on for too long now.

“Many members are also giving up on their passion, their love for working in communities that they are heading closer to the edge of the cliff in hospitals.”

The primary health care multi-employer collective agreement (PHC MECA) between the nurses and about 477 employers expired in June and negotiations with them began in August.

“Employers told us they don’t have the money but that’s hard to accept when we see them driving even flasher and bigger cars than they were when we sat at the table with them last year for bargaining.

‘They are driving the Rangers and our nurses are driving the Suzukis’

“Yes, the Government does need to increase funding to employers but employers are continuing to demand even more work from our nurses, without properly compensating them.”

The employers were represented at the negotiation meetings by GenPro, Green Cross Health Ltd, The Primary Care Bargaining Collaborative and Teo Medical Care.

As a result of the minimal pay offer, primary health care nurses throughout the country will be stepping up NZNO’s Maranga Mai campaign, by stopping work on October 23 to highlight the injustices of being treated by this Government as the “poor cousin,” said Morgan.

“We are joining with the NZ Council of Trade Unions to bring together nurses and other workers in response to this Government’s cutbacks and attacks and serious lack of resourcing in health.

‘We also want to meet with the Health Minister because this isn’t just about us nurses, this is also about the survival and health of our communities.’

“There’ll be no one to keep people out of hospitals if primary health nurses move closer to the edge of the cliff and the low pay is forcing them to go there.”

There is a $10,000 to $16,000 pay gap in annual salaries between what a Te Whatu Ora nurse is paid to what a primary health care nurse is paid,  according to the latest figures from Te Whatu Ora.

“Our brothers and sisters in Te Whatu Ora absolutely deserve this pay, even more actually. And like them, our primary health- care nurses deserve the same because they have done the same training and put in the same time,” Morgan said.

Dates for the next round of negotiations have not yet been confirmed, said Morgan.

Closing the pay gap is just one of several claims the bargaining team was trying to negotiate for members. Other claims include:

• Actualising te Tiriti
• Superannuation employer contribution to match employee contributions up to maximum 6%
• Add discretionary sick leave, improve long service leave provisions for all staff
• Recognition for nurse prescribers through an allowance
• Full cost of nurse APC reimbursed
• Nurse practitioner brought into coverage with pay scale
• Recognition of nurse leads with senior scale

This Government is hostile to nurses, especially primary health-care nurses, said NZNO-Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa chief executive officer Paul Goulter.

So on October 23, NZNO will be holding union meetings throughout the country as part of the Council of Trade Unions’ Fight Back Together Maranga Ake campaign for workers’ rights and honouring Te Tiriti.

“We encourage all employers to allow their staff who are our members to attend these meetings, not just because section 26 of the Employment Relations Act 2000 requires them to, but because we share a common objective – a better health system for everyone in this country.”

Voices of our primary health-care nurses

‘Oh man, where to start. . .primary health- care is going to lose a second wave of nurses to the hospital and other areas. I’m one of them. It is dumb because my heart is in primary health and that’s where I actually want to work. And the ones who stay are overworked, underpaid and undervalued.’

‘The funding model or whatever, something needs to change because the flow-on effect is that practices are opening books, taking on more patients, cramming them into 15-minute jam-packed consults to keep afloat, make more money. It’s not fair on the clinicians or the patients. I thought primary health care is supposed to prevent secondary care. Right now I think it’s making it worse.’

‘The current time allocation for patient care is insufficient, particularly considering the complexity of our patient population. The landscape of practice nursing has undergone significant transformations over the past five to 15 years, largely due to the shortage of general practitioners. Nurses are required to enhance their skills while still receiving inadequate compensation. Given the apparent lack of appreciation for nurses and the challenges they face, it becomes increasingly difficult to attract and retain qualified individuals to work in primary care settings.’

‘The strain on our primary health system is evident, and it is crucial to address these issues comprehensively. Primary care serves as the foundation, and its wellbeing directly impacts the overall healthcare landscape. Don’t get me started on National. . .’