Primary health nurses seek same pay as colleagues

Laila Harre

Community nurses have begun a campaign seeking pay parity with their colleagues working for district health boards.

The campaign, launched in Hamilton yesterday, follows the settlement in February which boosted pay packets for about 20,000 district health board nurses by 20 to 30 per cent.

"That success has highlighted the undervaluing of nurses in the primary health care sector, most of whom work in GP-owned general practices," said a Nurses Organisation spokeswoman, Laila Harre.

"If the Government is serious about improving health by investing in primary health services, then that means investing in nurses."

Ms Harre said the union wanted a multi-employer collective agreement for nurses across the primary health care sector, which involved some 5000 nurses and 1100 employers.

Such an agreement would value nurses in the community "on a par with their district health board counterparts".

Members are expected to vote on a proposal by the end of July and bargaining should begin in August. If successful, the contract would be the largest private-sector multi-employer collective in the country, said Ms Harre, a former Cabinet minister.

Green Party health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said the Government had to agree to fund pay parity.

"Without parity, these nurses will leave in droves and primary health care will be run down."

Ms Kedgley said the Greens also wanted pay parity extended to nurses working in residential and aged care sectors, and an improvement in conditions for other health workers.

"Without such moves, we will see workers voting with their feet and moving to the areas where they can get a better deal, which would be a disaster for staff retention rates at these essential services."

- NZPA