NZNO’s Summerset members will go to the ballot on a new offer following last week’s return to the bargaining table.
Meanwhile ahead of last week’s negotiations members gave some moral — and musical — support to the bargaining team with a day of action.
It came after members voted in June to reject Summerset’s offer, covering one year.
The day of action included NZNO Summerset members from the lower North Island who came together in person and online to belt out a famous U2 song – One.
Despite some technical challenges, the hui members sang the more-than five minute song together (unfortunately for copyright reasons Kaitiaki can’t play the video), then enjoyed it so much they gave it another blast.
The song’s lyrics were picked to send a message of support for the bargaining team.
An NZNO member and self-described “one-voicer” taking part in the action, who Kaitiaki agreed not to name, said the day was an opportunity for workers to come together as one team and one voice.
“Summerset’s values is ‘one team’ and what we’re doing is we’re taking this action because we’re about protecting one team.”
Other events included lunchtime gatherings and a community meeting held in New Plymouth.
The new Summerset offer included an increase in the one-off payment from $375 to $575 for union members. The other details of the previous offer remained unchanged.
The aged-care sector has previously come under scrutiny — last year NZNO released its Care in Crisis report in Wellington.
The report was based on 80 in-depth interviews and 415 surveys of aged-care nurses and health-care assistants across the motu — nearly 500 workers.
It found that whether large private operators or small not-for-profit, aged residential care was underfunded and understaffed across the country.
The ballot for members was planned to go out this week.
