Te Whatu Ora nurses to take nationwide strike action

About 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora will down tools tomorrow (Tuesday 3 December) in a nationwide strike over patient safety concerns following proposals raised in recent collective bargaining with Health NZ.

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) members fear Te Whatu Ora’s plans to pause a key component of its safe staffing programme put patient and whānau safety and wellbeing at risk, NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter says.

Te Whatu Ora proposed pausing FTE calculations for the Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM) programme during recent collective bargaining. CCDM calculates the number and the range of skills nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora need based on how sick patients are and how much nursing care they require.

Paul Goulter says NZNO members are concerned this pause leaves few safeguards on staffing levels and will result in fewer health care workers on duty.

"Ultimately, patients will pay the price for hospitals that are continuously understaffed and under-resourced."

Members are also disappointed Te Whatu Ora indicated their bargaining parameters are restricted to 1% of total employee costs, he says. This would be just ½% in the first year because it won’t come into effect until April 2025, and up to 1% in the second year.

"This means nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora will be offered a wage increase well below the rate of inflation - and effectively a pay cut. Nurses should not have to prop up the health system by taking cuts in pay.

"This could lead to a further exodus of New Zealand nurses to Australia. Nurses need a pay rise that reflects at least the cost of living and recognises their skills and knowledge. With Australia looking like an attractive option, we need pay and conditions that value them and help keep them in New Zealand," Paul Goulter says.