The Public Service Association is backing nurses' decision to reject a pay offer from District Health Boards, saying for too long workloads have been unsustainable and health workers have struggled to provide New Zealanders with care.
The New Zealand Nurses Organistion will in mid-April discuss possible strike action after yesterday rejecting the DHB's latest offer of a two per cent pay rise plus a $1050 lump sum.
More than 27,000 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants voted on the offer.
The PSA has 15,000 members currently in negotiations with DHBs and says it supports NZNO members and their campaign.
The PSA says its members have raised the same issues around insufficient staffing which undermines quality patient care and leads to staff fatigue and burnout.
PSA Assistant National Secretary Warwick Jones says the current dispute is the result of a decade of joint campaigning around workloads and pay, which escalated last year in an election campaign around health funding.
"For nine years under the National government, health workers kept our health system alive - at sometimes great personal cost," Mr Jones said.
"For far too long, workloads have been unsustainable, and health workers have struggled to provide New Zealanders with the care they need when they need it," he said.
"This pay offer doesn't go nearly far enough in recognising the immense contribution union members have made, so we're not surprised the offer has been rejected," Mr Jones said.
He says PSA members working in DHBs understand the stresses.
"PSA members in nursing, allied health, admin/clerical and other parts of the health system share NZNO members’ deep concern.
"They have told us countless stories of unfilled vacancies, unpaid overtime, unsafe working environments and struggles with fatigue, stress and burnout.
"Union members' goodwill has gone unrecognised for too long."
The PSA is calling on DHB employers and the Government to work with unions for a swift resolution of this issue.
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