KEY POINTS:
With a strike by hospital workers looming, district health boards and hospital contractor Spotless Services have yet to resolve an impasse over paying a wage increase to the workers.
The Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU), which represents more than 800 kitchen workers, cleaners and orderlies, gave notice last week of strike action from next Wednesday.
The union said the action was because Australian-owned Spotless was refusing to pay the wage increase negotiated last year after lockouts over wage negotiations.
But Spotless said yesterday that it would pay the money - after it received funds from the district health boards (DHBs).
A $14.25 minimum pay rate was negotiated last year as part of new national agreements covering workers employed by DHBs and three other contracting companies.
The company discussed the issue with DHB representatives yesterday and said the talks were "progressive and productive".
Company spokesman Peter Jennings said the talks were urgently arranged because of the strike notice.
However, Spotless had been working to resolve the funding impasse with DHBs for some months.
"Spotless has repeatedly said that it would pay its staff immediately once Spotless itself had received the full funding from the DHBs," said Mr Jennings.
"Spotless has still not received the full payment as agreed."
He said both parties were actively pursuing a solution.
Spotless workers affected are employed at hospitals in Kaitaia, Bay of Islands (Kawakawa), Whangarei, North Shore, Waitakere, Middlemore, Pukekohe, Franklin (Waiuku), Tauranga, Rotorua, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Wanganui, Hawkes Bay, Kew, Wairarapa and Timaru and at Manukau Superclinic.
- NZPA
