P causing pressure on mental health nurses

1.00pm

Striking Rotorua mental health workers say increasing violence from pure methamphetamine users is forcing their colleagues to quit.

The workers, including nurses from Rotorua Hospital's mental health inpatient unit, joined their colleagues in Waikato and the Bay of Plenty in industrial action on Friday morning.

About 350 workers from the three regions walked off the job for six days at 3am on Friday after negotiations between their union -- the Public Service Association -- and their employers broke down.

The strike follows eight months of talks between the two parties over a new multi-employer collective agreement for better pay and working conditions.

Four days of mediation and a last-minute management offer on pay failed to break the stalemate.

Striking Rotorua workers gathered in the city on Saturday with signs asking passing motorists to honk in support.

PSA organiser Ron Berry said mental health nurses were leaving the profession because they were not properly compensated for the threat to their safety.

The impact of designer drugs, serious assaults on staff and overflowing workloads was a major reason for dissatisfaction, he said.

"Users of drugs like P heighten their mental health problems and that makes managing these patients at the acute end of the scale even more difficult," Mr Berry said.

He claimed nurses at Tauranga's mental health inpatient unit were seriously assaulted at least once every 18 months.

"I don't have the statistics for Rotorua but I'm aware there have been staff assaulted."

Staff injured due to an assault were forced to spend time off work, receiving ACC payments. The long periods away from work for shift workers meant they lost their entitlements to extra night rates and other special benefits.

"There's a significant impact on their salary. They can lose thousands of dollars."

Workers were expected to continue picketing in each region today.

The union and the boards have agreed to further mediation tomorrow.

The strike will continue but a spokesperson for the three boards, Jan White, said she hoped they could restructure their offer to better meet the nurses' needs.

Dr White said there was no extra money, but both parties agreed prolonged industrial action would not resolve the issue.

The boards' offer to nurses was a raise of about 3 per cent a year, including special allowances, across all three health boards. The union wants about 8 per cent.

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)