KEY POINTS:
In the latest bout of industrial action to hit district health boards, nearly 3000 hospital support workers will walk off the job for 1-1/2 hours from 11.30am today.
The service workers -- among them orderlies, food service workers and home-help aids -- are seeking a Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (Meca), which would mean they would receive the same pay rates across the country.
Negotiations with the DHBs failed last week.
Service and Food Workers Union advocate Shane Vugler said many of its members were on the minimum wage of $10.25 an hour.
The workers carry out a range of tasks including cleaning, catering, orderly work and direct care for patients.
DHBs spokesman Craig Climo said different contingency plans had been put in place at the 21 DHBs.
How much impact the strike would have on the hospitals would vary from place to place, but all patients would be fed, he said.
Mr Vugler said the workers planned to strike for just 1-1/2 hours because they did not want to impact on patients at this point, he said.
"The action is designed to draw attention to their case, not to disrupt patients and the DHBs appreciate that," Mr Climo said.
However, the union described today's strike as a warning shot, and said longer strikes would follow if no progress was made with the DHBs.
In a volatile industrial climate, DHBs have dealt with strikes by junior doctors, radiation technologists, radiographers, and laboratory workers over the past six months.
- NZPA
