The PSA union and district health boards have agreed to go to mediation next week despite “disappointment” from DHBs that possible strike action by nurses in September remains an option.
Mental health and public health nurses joined 12,000 fellow district health board members of the Public Service Association (PSA) in voting to take industrial action after pay talks broke down.
Graham Dyer, the lead DHB chief executive for employment relations, said it had engaged in good faith with the PSA and had offered nurses and allied health staff the same increase (1.5 per cent over two years) accepted in recent bargaining by clinical psychologists and medical physicists.
“DHBs do not believe there are any reasons to offer these PSA groups more than the increases that were accepted by similar workforces,” said Dyer.
The ballot of clerical, allied, public health, technical, and nursing staff - covered by eight multi-employer collective agreements (MECA) that all expired a month to 11 months ago - rejected the 0.7 per cent a year or 1.5 per cent over two years offer.
The PSA said the ballot voted overwhelmingly to start progressive industrial action, starting on August 25 and rolling out to a three-hour strike on September 10.
The two PSA Nursing MECAs are understood to cover between 2500 and 3000 DHB mental health nurses, public health nurses and health care assistants, and has an annual payroll of $211 million.
Dyer said it was “disappointing” that the PSA was seeking possible strike action despite being briefed on the financial pressures on DHBs.
“It’s unclear what the PSA think they are going to achieve for their members. We all know industrial action doesn’t alter what the DHBs can afford,” said Dyer.
He said DHBs employed approximately 3200 mental health nurses who were covered not only by PSA but also the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the union NUPE.
“We do not know the number covered by PSA or the number of them that have voted to strike,” said Dyer in a statement to Nursing Review.
“We will expect the union to provide those details should strike notices be served so DHBs can contingency plan accordingly and ensure that ‘life preserving services’ are in place.”
LAST PSA NURSING MECA
- Settled December 2011 (backdated to Oct 28 2011)
- 2% lump sum in 2012
- 2.5% pay rise on May 1 2013
- expired mid this year.
- Current RN starting salary of $46,948
LAST NZNO MECA
- Settled February 2012 (starting date March 1 2012)
- 2% pay rise from March 1 2012
- 1.5% pay rise from March 1 2013
- 1% pay rise from March 1 2014
- expires February 28 2015
- Current RN starting salary of $47,528
