KEY POINTS:
Two years after negotiating a 'Fair Pay' deal, 20,000 New Zealand nurses are now setting their sights on creating a level playing field, calling for consistency, equity and fairness in the work force.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has started bargaining with the 21 District Health Boards (DHBs) for renewal of the single national collective agreement achieved following massive public support for the "Fair Pay" campaign in 2004.
Fair Pay was settled in March 2005, with 20,000 nurses, midwives and health care assistants receiving pay increases, in what NZNO described at the time as a "great achievement".
However, the union said nurses were still missing out on fair superannuation and annual leave.
Today, the union said the bargaining teams had agreed to a problem solving approach to negotiations, which commenced following the expiry of the previous agreement on 31 December 2006.
The employers and the union would identify common issues and work together to resolve them, NZNO industrial advisor Glenda Alexander said.
Superannuation, and the different hurdles faced by men and women in career development were both areas to be targeted.
"There is a range of provisions that can ensure that men and women have equitable opportunities to enter the workforce and progress their careers," Ms Alexander said.
"The Government wants the public sector to be a leader in pay and employment equity," Ms Alexander said.
"We are offering DHBs the chance to implement healthy, fair work practices that can help to achieve that aspiration."
- NZPA
