October 14, 2022
Primary care nurses vote to strike
Nurses working in the primary health sector have overwhelmingly voted to strike for four hours on October 27.
Vice President for the NZ College of Primary Health Care Nurses NZNO, Tracey Morgan says nurses are upset that despite a year in bargaining, a lack of government funding means employers can’t match the pay of nurses employed in public hospitals.
She says they feel they’re fighting an uphill battle with the government.
“It’s even harder in the different sectors when you are looking around and offers are being offered overseas and nurses who have all these amazing skills are so tired that better offer or that better carrot for them is taking them away from a workplace we love. We love working for our patients. They are the people that come into the medical centres, that come into the urgent care, that come into Plunket, the come in everywhere and that’s our job,” Ms Morgan says.
Primary care nurses with the same same skills and qualifications are being paid 10 to 20 percent less than Health New Zealand nurses yet they are being offered just a 3 percent pay increase.