Nursing reports

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 14 May 2021

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) will be issuing strike notices to the country’s district health boards (DHBs) after its 30,000 members who work in DHBs voted overwhelmingly in favour of an eight-hour strike on 9 June.

Lead Advocate and NZNO Industrial Advisor David Wait said voter turnout was very high and that he was extremely pleased by the unity shown by members participating in the ballot which closed yesterday at Noon.

“Members are angry and frustrated at the first DHB offer received last month. That would have given most members little more than 1.38 percent, just under the rate of inflation. This is despite the incredible sacrifices they made in 2020 to keep the country safe from COVID-19.”

However, he said members were absolutely furious at the Government’s 5 May wage restraint announcement that would effectively freeze their wages for three years as most have already progressed to the last step of their pay scale.

“That anger has been clearly expressed in the strike ballot result, but this is about much more than just money.

“Nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora have been working under horrific and unsafe staffing conditions for a long time, made much worse by the pandemic, and they are genuinely worried about the future of the nursing profession.

“They do not strike on a whim and care deeply for their patients, but the time has come for a clear statement to be made. If nurses are not valued and appreciated, they will leave nursing or move overseas, and few young people will be joining the profession to replace them.

“This will turn what is already a serious staffing crisis into a disaster for the health system and the levels of care available for ourselves and our loved ones.”

Mr Wait said members working in Managed Isolation and Quarantine will not participate in the strike. Those working as part of the vaccination rollout will strike, but the DHBs have been given ample notice to make alternative arrangements for the eight-hour period. NZNO will also respond in good faith to DHB requests for members to assist by providing life preserving services in the interests of patient safety.

“Striking is always a last resort and we do have mediation with the DHBs scheduled for 18-19 May during which we will actively search for solutions that could avert strike action.”

But he said the best alternative would be for the DHBs and Government to be realistic and come up with an acceptable offer that would enhance the profession and recognise the contribution nurses have made before and since the pandemic.

The nationwide strike will take place on 9 June from 11am-7pm but Mr Wait said member determination should not be underestimated and that further strike action was possible.

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 12 May 2021

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says it’s ironic that, on the eve of the International Day of the Nurse, it had to attend a meeting with Government to defend its members’ right to be treated in good faith while negotiating their multi-employer collective agreement with the district health boards.

NZNO Industrial Services Manager Glenda Alexander said this flies in the face of the massive contribution nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world have made during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We applaud each and every one of these workers who has helped keep the country and our people safe,” she said.

Yesterday, alongside the NZ Council of Trade Unions and other public service unions, NZNO met with Public Service Minister Hon Chris Hipkins to discuss the recent Public Service Pay Guidance that appeared to signal three years without a pay increase for most NZNO members.

Ms Alexander said members could not believe the Government would take this approach particularly after the sacrifices they have made and that many say they now plan to leave the profession or the country that values them so poorly.

“This is particularly galling given we are part way through pay negotiations that have been underway for a year and a pay equity claim that was agreed to be in place by the end of 2019. We are frustrated and angry that we honour the agreements reached in good faith but that this good faith is not reciprocated.”

She said NZNO was very frank about its concerns at the meeting and that the Government did listen. It acknowledged that bargaining must be conducted in good faith and that the priority is to lift the wages of the lowest paid.

“We agreed the latter could be achieved by speeding up settlement of the equal pay claims. This  needs to happen now and the settlements achieved must be maintained so similar male occupations in the private sector, who are not subject to pay restraint, don’t leave us behind and widen the gender pay gap again.”

She said NZNO has gone into negotiations before where attempts have been made to set the bargaining parameters from ‘outside the room’.

“We have always put forward our own expectations about what is fair and reasonable and have been prepared to fight for that in the past. We believe these circumstances are no different.

“Members care deeply about wellbeing, workload and equity issues. These were discussed and we expect that these issues will be addressed by the Government and that there should be no predetermined outcomes in bargaining so the parties can find agreeable solutions, working in good faith.”

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 12 May 2021

On the International Day of the Nurse (12 May) the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is asking the people of Aotearoa New Zealand to get behind nurses and all health workers in their struggle for fair pay and safe staffing.

NZNO Acting Professional Services Manager Kate Weston says today is an appropriate time to consider the enormous contribution nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora have made over the last year to keep the rest of us safe – often at great cost to themselves.

“Nurses have worked extra hours under extremely stressful conditions. They’ve risked their own health and have often been cut off from their families and friends in the fight against COVID-19.

“And every day they’ve lived with the despair that comes from not having had the time to provide their patients with adequate levels of care because unsafe staffing is rife across all nursing sectors.”

However, Ms Weston said that while recognition is important, nurses deserve much more than just applause. They need to be recognised with fair pay and a genuine commitment to safe staffing by the Government and their employers.

“The theme for the Day is ‘Nurses: a voice to lead – a vision for future health care’. But how can nurses lead when they are so undervalued? How can we celebrate when we are fearful about future health care? Nurses are leaving the profession, unable to live with the stress, the low pay and now what seems like Government ingratitude – and that will affect the future of health care for us all.”

She said New Zealanders could support nurses by talking with their friends, signing petitions, writing to their MPs or the newspaper, and by getting behind any industrial action nurses might decide to take.

“But most of all, if you’re near a nurse, midwife, health care assistant or kaimahi hauora today, please let them know how much you appreciate them and that you support their ongoing struggle for fair pay and safe staffing.”

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 5 May 2021

NZNO says health care workers across Aotearoa New Zealand are extremely disappointed following the government’s pay freeze announcement.

Despite being on the frontline for COVID-19, Nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaimahi hauora employed by District Health Boards (DHB) could all be affected by the announcement.

NZNO Industrial Services Manager Glenda Alexander says she is seriously concerned about the impact of the policy on NZNO's work to resolve gender pay issues within nursing and midwifery.

"This announcement could set back our efforts to resolve the longstanding undervaluation of our members’ work, especially regarding pay rates for nurses.

"Three years effectively freezing our payrates would put us backward in closing the gender pay gap between the female-dominated nursing occupation and male-dominated occupations, many of which are in the private sector."

On top of pay equity concerns, NZNO Industrial Advisor David Wait says that the announcement could have significant impacts on the current negotiations as well as staff retention.

"NZNO is in negotiations with DHBs for a new Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (MECA) which affects over 30,000 workers. Our members in DHBs are feeling let down and anxious following the announcement. They’re feeling that this is a huge disrespect given all they have done for the country during the pandemic.

"We keep hearing from members that this is just the thing to push them to move overseas," he said.

"All people in Aotearoa New Zealand should be concerned at the possible impact of the guidance on our ability to attract and retain health workers in our public hospitals and DHB facilities that are already understaffed".

- ENDS -

Media inquiries: Hugo Robinson, Assistant Media and Communications Advisor, 021 194 3408. 

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 12 April 2021

The nearly 30,000 district health board (DHB) members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) have received the first DHB offer in their multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) negotiations, which began in June last year. In a survey of the affected membership the overwhelming feedback was that this offer would be rejected out of hand.

These nurses, midwives, health care assistants (HCAs) and kaimahi hauora say the offer fails to recognise the tremendous workload and highly pressurised working conditions they endure and will do nothing to address the DHB staffing crisis that puts themselves and patients in peril.

Lead Advocate and NZNO Industrial Advisor David Wait says members had until Sunday 11 April to provide their feedback on the package that offered little more than an annualised increase of just 1.38 percent for most.

“Because the clear majority of respondents said the offer was completely unacceptable, we will proceed straight to mediation with the DHBs while we meet with members to decide on our next steps.”

Wait said nurses have been historically undervalued because they work in a female-dominated profession, but that this was about much more than just money.

“So much is asked of our members who step up and give their all to the point of exhaustion over and over. Meanwhile, their employers persistently fail to provide promised safe staffing levels.

“There is a DHB staffing crisis that has created unsafe working conditions for nursing staff that compromises patient safety. This offer completely fails to acknowledge that fact and will do nothing to attract new people to the profession. Nurses can clearly see this, and it hurts.”

Auckland registered nurse Neil Warrington said nurses are feeling flat, demoralised and let down.

“This will not enhance the profession in any way. I can’t think of anyone who would look at this offer and say yes, nursing is the job for me.

“A lot of nurses are looking at moving overseas to work, especially now that the borders with Australia are open again. They believe they will be much better off over there.”

David Wait said members put forward 63 claims to the DHBs with the core issues being around pay, better sick leave and accountability over safe staffing, but that much of what was asked for has been ignored.

“That is not really negotiation. It’s just the same short-sighted thinking that relies on the good will and compassion of nurses who deserve good will and compassion themselves. For all our sakes, let’s hope funding can be found for a much more worthy offer.”

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 19 March 2021

Understaffing in the aged care sector in Aotearoa New Zealand is the focus of this year’s Caregivers Week, which starts on Monday 22 March. 

Understaffing means workers do not have time to provide the best possible care and must often make difficult decisions about how to ration the care they can provide. This takes its toll on care staff and many do unpaid extra hours to get through their work.

NZNO organiser Christina Couling says the people of Aotearoa New Zealand need to know that current staffing levels are inadequate, and that our elderly deserve far better. 

“Currently we don’t have mandatory minimum staffing levels in the aged care sector. The guidelines we do have are optional, very much out of date and do not provide for the increasingly complex health needs of our older New Zealanders. Understaffing impacts directly on our seniors and their opportunity to lead the best lives possible.

“We are campaigning for the Government to introduce legislated (mandatory) minimum staffing levels across the sector. We need more nurses and caregivers on every shift to provide safe care.

“This is imperative if we are to give our elderly the care they deserve in their latter years.”

Ms Couling says the current understaffing and undervaluation of aged care workers has resulted from decades of privatisation.

“The care of our seniors is placed with private companies some of which make massive profits. Our aged care workers give their best to ensure our loved ones are safe and well, but they are constantly being pushed to work harder with less time available to care for residents.

“We can’t let profit get in the way of care. As long as the Government delegates this responsibility to profit-driven companies without sufficient regard for safe staffing, provision of care will suffer.” 

To support the push for mandatory staffing levels the public are urged to sign an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at www.together.org.nz/safestaffingnow.

Caregivers Week was established by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation College of Gerontology Nursing to celebrate the significant contribution health care assistants and caregivers to people living in aged residential care. It occurs each year during the last week of March. 

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 22 December 2020

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says unpreparedness for COVID-19 and a sustained lack of investment in the resources required for safe staffing have left nurses and health care workers at Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) feeling unsafe and fearful for patient safety.

There have been more than 250 unsafe staffing incident reports in the last three months at ADHB which runs Auckland Hospital and the Greenlane Clinical Centre.

NZNO Organiser Justine Sachs said senior nurses have reported that inadequate resource allocation has led to a budget blow-out especially regarding nursing staff.

“To help cope, ADHB has stopped hiring or recruiting external nurses, and staff usually available to fill unexpected leave have been allocated to managed isolation facilities.

“This has resulted in extreme difficulty finding cover for unexpected leave. If someone calls in sick there is no one to replace them and this has created a staffing crisis.”

Ms Sachs says nurses are telling NZNO the situation is so dangerous that they feel scared to come into work.

“Many are working unsustainable levels of overtime to make up for the shortfall, and they worry every single day about harm coming to patients as a result of unsafe staffing levels.”

She said the situation is the result of our health care system prioritising financial and budgeting goals over patient and staff safety.

“We need our health care budget to meet patient and staff needs, not the other way around. The systematic underfunding of health care by successive governments has led to overrun hospitals and nurses struggling to meet patient needs safely.

“We’re also totally unprepared to manage any kind of sustained community outbreak of COVID-19 if we’re unable to meet normal patient demand.

“This pandemic has shown how important it is to have a well-resourced health care system.

“It’s just not good enough, and we could do so much better.”

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 7 November 2020

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation says the fact that an Auckland MIQ worker has contracted COVID-19, as announced yesterday, is both disappointing and troubling, but not at all surprising.

NZNO Associate Professional Services Manager Kate Weston says Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) has failed to address serious systemic problems at Auckland MIQ facilities since they took over as the employer for clinical staff at the end of September.

“Members tell us there is not consistent access to N95 masks, and that they are not being fit tested for these masks, which is important for their safe use. While the DHB say they have been fit testing for the last couple of weeks it could not tell us how many staff had been fit tested or when procedures would be in place to fit test all staff.

“Likewise they have no clear plans in place which will address the short-staffing our members’ report with the urgency required.”

Ms Weston said this was simply not good enough considering how long NZNO has been in talks with CMDHB about these issues, and because no lessons seem to have been learned.

“Inadequate access to PPE and poor training in its use has been an issue we’ve known about since this all began, and here we are again. That this is still happening is completely shocking and matter of huge public concern.

“New Zealand is in a privileged position internationally, but workers protecting our borders are becoming infected because an overwhelmed system cannot cope. More must be done to protect our workers and protect our community.”

Ms Weston again called for a full and urgent review of how MIQ facilities are run to identify systemic failures.

“We need to identify systemic problems across the board and address them with urgency. We need CMDHB to listen to our members’ concerns and provide more than vague plans. Our members are working in unsafe conditions, and they feel fearful, angry and frustrated.

“Until these issues are resolved the risk to New Zealanders will remain very real because we can expect more nurses and other health workers will contract COVID-19.” 

NZNO is in talks with several DHBs and is also working closely with other CTU affiliated unions and MBIE to develop a Work Participation Agreement (WPA). This WPA will be applicable to all workers across all MIQ facilities in New Zealand. The WPA will be a mechanism to ensure worker engagement participation and representation for all workers in these facilities around all health and safety matters.

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 4 November 2020

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says two health workers infected with COVID-19 in Christchurch are a symptom of systemic, structural problems with the way managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities are being managed in New Zealand that threaten the wellbeing of nurses and other health workers – and indeed the whole country.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said NZNO is also aware of significant problems in Auckland facilities managed by Counties Manukau DHB, where nurses and health workers are under-staffed, have insufficient access to PPE and do not have the support in place to enable them to care for the large influx of quarantined people – whose needs are also being neglected.

“Our members are telling us they are anxious and fearful. The woeful working conditions at these facilities are leading to unsafe practices which put their health at risk. This puts those they care for at risk and poses a threat to the border and therefore to the welfare of the public.

“This is important because it is our border control that sets us apart from other countries and keeps us all safe.”

Ms Nuku said this is not an isolated problem, and nor is it one that will go away without concerted action.

“If these systemic issues are not identified and remedied, this will be an ongoing problem. The health and spiritual and cultural needs of the overseas people in MIQ have been radically underestimated and there just aren’t the staff or resources available to meet those needs.”

Ms Nuku repeated NZNO’s call for a review of how MIQ facilities are run to identify systemic failures, and said she feared more health workers would become infected if this was not done urgently.

“We need assurances across the board that our members will be cared for and safe, because at the moment they are telling us they are not.”

NZNO Industrial Adviser DHB David Wait said the conditions for workers in these facilities had been exacerbated by problems with rostering and inadequate pay for nurses and other health staff working in MIQ facilities, and that NZNO organisers had been working tirelessly with members to identify and address these issues.

“Counties Manukau DHB has taken steps to fix its payroll issues and has provided assurances to NZNO members about their hours of work.

“They are also engaging with us to address concerns over unsafe staffing and we believe they are taking these concerns seriously. However, we need urgent action over promises. Until these issues are resolved finding sufficient staff will be especially challenging and the threat to New Zealanders will remain very real.”  

NZNO is working closely with other CTU affiliated unions and MBIE to develop a Work Participation Agreement (WPA). This WPA will be applicable to all workers across all MIQ facilities in New Zealand. The WPA will be a mechanism to ensure worker engagement participation and representation for all workers in these facilities around all health and safety matters.

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 27 August 2020

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s (NZNO’s) College of Emergency Nurses (CENNZ) says the de-valuing of the nursing role evident in recent moves by the Canterbury DHB (CDHB) are deeply worrying, and that all New Zealanders should be concerned.

College Chair Dr Sandy Richardson says the loss of key personnel from the DHB such as Director of Nursing Mary Gordon, and the DHB Board’s decision to prioritise deficit management will have significant health effects.

“We’re looking at an anticipated $13 million cut in nursing staff costs. The willingness to target nursing whenever money needs saving is long-standing and shows a lack of awareness that patient safety is reduced when the number of nurses and skill mix is lower than required to meet patient need.

“It’s a failure to comprehend what nurses actually do and how vital their role is.”  

Dr Richardson said CDHB is unique in that Canterbury, the West Coast, Kaikoura and Marlborough have experienced ongoing and cumulative crises and disasters over the past decades, which have had a significant impact on the health system, the health workforce and community. 

“The ongoing effects of these remain in terms of physical, emotional and psychological reminders for people in these areas, and the health system has suffered financial, structural and institutional wounds – and now we have COVID-19. 

“Throughout this, nurses have continued to work effectively and efficiently, and to maximise savings.  There is no fat left to cut.  A nursing shortage already looms due to its ageing workforce, but the Board plans to reduce the number of new graduates being employed.”

Dr Richardson said the loss of important clinical voices and institutional knowledge resulting from the mass resignations is reminiscent of the 1998 Stent report which made 112 recommendations related to Canterbury Health. The investigation came after multiple warnings from clinical staff and professional organisations.

“Then Health and Disability Commissioner Robyn Stent recognised the damage done by cost cutting and loss of clinical expertise. Her report validated the warning letter sent by concerned staff ‘Patients are dying’. 

“This was centred on Christchurch Hospital and should be a reminder of the worst that can occur; but this seems to have slipped from the Board’s collective memory.”

-Ends-

Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.