Two-week partial strike action to highlight unsafe staffing levels will be undertaken by more 37,500 of NZNO’s Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora.

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO members voted strongly today to take two weeks of partial strike action in mid-November.

NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter says Te Whatu Ora is increasingly relying on health workers to cover-up chronic short staffing by moving them away from their patients to fill roster gaps in other parts of hospitals and public health.

"These roster gaps are caused by known and preventable staffing shortfalls. This partial strike action from 17-30 November will allow Te Whatu Ora members to focus on patient safety by providing care for the patients in their area of work.

"The workers will refuse to be redeployed to other areas of work to cover staff shortages. They will also refuse to work additional hours they are not rostered to do and refuse any roster changes proposed by Te Whatu Ora.

"If Te Whatu Ora safely staffed shifts, none of these actions would be needed," he says.

Paul Goulter says workers are frustrated that after more than 30 days of bargaining with Te Whatu Ora, their concerns that short staffing is putting patient safety at risk remain unaddressed.

"The Government is ignoring the evidence showing our hospitals are chronically understaffed and they are refusing to listen to nurses. Yet again it is nurses who have to prove the danger to their patients of ongoing staff shortages.

"Nurses have been calling for enforceable safe staffing ratios for over a year because they understand that safe staffing saves lives," Paul Goulter.

Safe Staffing Strike details:

These three types of national Safe Staffing strikes will occur at every place in New Zealand where Health New Zealand provides health services and/or disability support services.

As always, NZNO members will provide Life Preserving Services as agreed between NZNO and Te Whatu Ora.

Strike 1 - Strike on Redeployment, 17-30 November

• The nature of the strike is a refusal by employees to accept reallocation to any area or to any work they are not rostered to do.

Strike 2 - Strike on Additional Hours, 17-30 November

• The nature of the strike is a refusal by employees to work any duty or shift other than those they are rostered to do.

Strike 3 - Strike on Roster Changes, 24-30 November

• The nature of the strike is a refusal by employees to agree to any roster changes proposed by Te Whatu Ora.