Primary Health Workforce Ratifies NZ’s largest MECA

4 May 2007

After a two-year campaign, New Zealand Nurses Organisation members employed in primary health care have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new multi-employer collective agreement.

The multi-employer collective agreement will be New Zealand’s largest, covering over 2000 practice nurses, registered nurses, midwives, administrative staff and medical receptionists in general practices and accident and medical centres in 560 workplaces.

NZNO Primary Health Care MECA advocate Chris Wilson said the deal was supported by a massive 99 percent of those who voted.

“This settlement represents a huge step forward for the primary health care workforce towards pay parity with their counterparts in public hospitals,” she said.

“Our primary health members have won a very significant pay increase which in July this year moves the pay rate for a practice nurse with five years experience 19 percent higher than the rate in the previous national agreement.”

Chris Wilson said the MECA also significantly improved conditions, and includes five weeks’ annual leave after six years’ service.

Chris Wilson said it was a significant victory that over 500 private sector employers had been brought into a MECA.

“It was not easy to achieve and NZNO had to commit significant resources and initiate legal proceedings with over 100 employers to bring them into the bargaining process, even thought their employees wished to be part of the MECA, ,” said Chris Wilson,.

The ratification results were announced this weekend at the National Practice Nurse Conference and received with a standing ovation from NZNO practice nurse members.

Chair of the NZNO College of Practice Nurses, Rosemary Minto, said the settlement went a long way to addressing years of undervaluing of the work in primary health care.

“Throughout this campaign primary health members of NZNO have called for our work to be valued,” she said.

“The work in the primary health sector is harder than ever and at least as complex as that done by our counterparts in public hospitals. This settlement is a significant victory for our members.”

ENDS