Wed 09 June 2021:
As many as 30,000 nurses in New Zealand went on an eight-hour nationwide strike on Wednesday, demanding that the government put an end to underfunding of health care system and inadequate staffing.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) announced the eight-hour strike on Monday after it rejected the second pay offer from district health boards in their current round of multi-employer collective agreement negotiations.
Hospitals around the country have been flat out today, with all but a handful operating at close to maximum capacity – if not more.
This is despite trying to keep numbers down while nurses were on strike by cancelling routine and non-urgent appointments.
About 30,000 nurses, midwives and other health workers walked off the job at 11am with the strike due to finish in an hour.
The national contingency planner for district health boards Anne Aitcheson has told Checkpoint hospitals tried to reduce capacity but it was a busy day.
Nurses need to share their voice and values it’s about more than pay- it’s about keeping patients safe and giving nurses the tools to practice compassionate care and stay sane in a fragile health system #nursing #nzno #CENNZ #safecare pic.twitter.com/D7MCWM46t4
— Sandra Richardson (@SandraR_PhD) June 9, 2021
The revised offer, according to the trade union, did not significantly differ from the previous one, nor did it address issues of major concern, primarily, nursing shortages that affect both medical staff and patients.
“We need the Government and the DHBs to come up with a profession-enhancing offer right now that truly recognizes the contribution nursing staff make and that ensures the future of nursing for the wellbeing and safety of us all,” NZNO Lead Advocate David Wait said, as quoted in a press release.
One Christchurch nurse who has worked in the profession for 21 years says she is striking because understaffing is so bad it is getting dangerous.
Luana Homan was one of thousands of nurses who went on strike in Christchurch today.
She says understaffing is her biggest concern.
“We are so stretched thin on the ground it’s getting dangerous, I work in a ward where our specialty often there’s often only one or two who know our specialty.
“We’re having to train up younger people but we just don’t have the time to be around and to give them the best advice, education and to make sure our patients are getting what they need.”
She says increased pay could also encourage experienced nurses who are currently leaving in droves, to stay in the profession longer.
The NZNO has reportedly asked for a 17% pay raise, but the government denied the request, saying it cannot afford it.
