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Download AudioNurses start an eight-hour strike tomorrow from 11am – and the Nurses Organisation warns there could be more.
The nurses voted overwhelming the reject a second DHB offer in multi-employer collective agreement negotiations because they felt it still failed to address issues of staffing and resources.
The Organisation's kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says there is a crisis in the health sector because of years of under-investment, and nurses are bearing the brunt of it.
They are sick of hearing they are the backbone of the system without seeing any tangible rewards or improvement in conditions.
She says the strike vote was a big step.
"Potentially if we can't reach an agreement that is satisfactory, who knows where this might end up and how many strikes there may be in the future but what I am hearing loud and strong from our members is that this cannot go on any further so if it means they have to take some drastic actions like this, they will continue to do that," Ms Nuku says.
Māori nurses often face a double burden because of the way they colleagues expect them to manage any issues relating to Māori patients.
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