A new offer is on the table for nurses amid a pay row that has been ongoing for years.
Frustration over wages and working conditions saw tens of thousands of nurses on strike last year.
It’s a significant step forward in the bargaining process between nurses and DHBs over negotiations which have been running since 2017.
At the heart of the dispute is the gender divide - a sense that nurses, a traditionally female dominated workforce, have been paid less than those in male dominated professions.
The latest offer from the DHB will go some way to change this, if the offer is accepted, 40,000 nurses will see a significant rise in their pay, in some cases by as much as $15,000 a year, effective from March 7, 2022.
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There have been mixed responses to the offer, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation saying it’s a good offer that enables nurses to have more money in their pocket now.
However, some nurses are disappointed the offer wasn’t backdated to 2019 as they had been hoping for. Instead a $3000 lump sum pay out is being offered to those covered by the agreement.
Nurses are set to vote on the offer this month. If they don’t agree, it will see the case taken to the Employment Court.
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