Category: Unions

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NZNO welcomes Robertson’s pay increase signal  

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Headline: NZNO welcomes Robertson’s pay increase signal  

Media Release 

12 March 2018

 

Minister of Finance hints at pay boost

The Minister of Finance comment to media that nurses were in line for their pay to be addressed with a future “pay bump” will be great news to the nurse workforce.

Chief Executive Memo Musa says this comment said on the TVNZ Q and A programme is in line with the government commitment to put back the $2billion missing in the health spend over the last nine years.

“The finance minister signalling that increases in salaries for teachers and nurses is overdue is a welcome step towards addressing the ongoing issue of the undervaluation of nurses undervalued,” Memo Musa said. 

“NZNO members have campaigned for many years now for adequate health funding to ensure better care of New Zealanders in the health system, safe staffing levels and pay that better reflects the value they bring to the community. 

“The health spend freeze had a negative impact on the nursing workforce morale because of the strain of staff shortages and the subsequent inability for nurses to take time for professional development. In addition many remain unsatisfied with the care they can provide because of underfunding of the health service widely.

“We will be looking carefully at the government’s 2018 Budget for the road map towards redress of the decade of underinvestment in health and nurses’ salaries.

“We want to see more māori nurses attracted into nursing and every new graduate with a place on an NETP entry programme. We want our more senior experienced nurses to stay in nursing and for employers to accommodate their needs to keep them in the profession.

This suggestion of a future pay bump will likely be a morale boost for nurses as the government intends to better reflect the value of nurses,” he said.

 

 

 

ENDS
media enquiries to Media adviser: Karen Coltman 027 431 2617.

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What do a nurse, an early childhood teacher and a medical transcriptionist have in common?

Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: What do a nurse, an early childhood teacher and a medical transcriptionist have in common?

They are all waiting on equal pay. And today, early childhood teacher Chloe Lundie-Hodge, neonatal intensive care nurse Emma Morgan and medical transcriptionist Anne Shanks presented the signatures of over eight and a half thousand other equal pay supporters to Dr Jackie Blue in Wellington.

“On International Women’s Day, it’s heartening to know that so many other New Zealanders want to see equal pay for all women now,” New Zealand Educational Institute member Chloe said. “I also really appreciated that the Human Rights Commission has held an open forum for women to tell their stories for a submission to the United Nations. There are many steps to full equality for women in New Zealand, but getting the pay equity principles into law and better funding education roles like mine needs to happen this year.”

New Zealand Nurses Organisation member Emma told Dr Blue that because nursing has been seen as ‘women’s work’ the intense responsibility of her role is not reflected in her pay. “Our skill literally means the difference between life and death for very fragile premature or ill babies. My job can be emotionally intense, and we put in long hours, but we do it because we change families’ lives for the better. All we are asking is for society to take another look at the value nurses bring, and whether that’s fairly recognised.”

Medical transcriptionist Anne thanked her union, the Public Service Association for taking up an equal pay claim on behalf of admin and clerical workers. “The funny thing is, health administrative roles used to be paid more and seen as a ‘specialist’ skill several decades ago when it was done mostly by men. The PSA is willing to unpick the complex history of our pay and bargain on our behalf, and I’m grateful for them standing up for us. But the principle of our claim is very simple. In 2018, we shouldn’t be paid less just because mostly women now tend to do admin. That’s been the law for over forty years.”

The Council of Trade Unions is campaigning for a better equal pay law for all women to be able to take claims, within the next 250 days.

To download photos: www.dropbox.com/sh/4u72c67f6t5r0e3/AAABl8g4L_1VBrrvEM5-Y5nWa?dl=0

To see video of the presentation: www.facebook.com/togetherunionnz/videos/1821476914569309/

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Transpacific agreement not right

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Headline: Transpacific agreement not right

 

 

Media Release                                                                   7 March 2018

President to speak at Wellington TPPA Rally

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation objects to the New Zealand government’s intention to sign the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement tomorrow. NZNO asserts that although some improvements have been made, the CPTPP is not ready to be signed.

As part of the week of action, NZNO President Grant Brookes will address the Wellington rally against the signing on parliament grounds tomorrow and will urge the rally to sign the petition ‘don’t do it’. 

Nationwide Day of Action against the TPPA-11

“Trade Minister David Parker rates the deal as seven out of ten for New Zealand. Nurses would not agree that tinkering around the edges meant that was a good job done, no more than the government should think they have finished making a deal that is good for all New Zealanders,” he said.

“Nurses promote optimal health status for all peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand. Despite improvements, the intellectual property provisions which are likely to delay access to affordable new medicines are still present in the text.

“In reality there is no way of knowing how well the CPTPP scores.

“Until there is an independent health impact assessment of the deal, which Labour campaigned for while in opposition, then nurses say, ‘Don’t sign!’.”

Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says:

“We are not satisfied that the Treaty of Waitangi aspect of this agreement is robust enough to protect indigenous rights as was found by the Waitangi Tribunal.”

“The Investor State Dispute Settlement provisions which privilege multinational corporate interests above our sovereign and indigenous interests have been suspended but not removed and this is too risky for us,” she said.

 

https://www.nzno.org.nz/get_involved/campaigns

 

Media enquiries to: Karen Coltman 027 431 2617

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Pay Equity recommendations to cabinet

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Headline: Pay Equity recommendations to cabinet

 

Media Release                                                          5 March 2018

 

Cabinet to get working group pay equity recommendations

NZNO commends the government on following through on their election promise to relook at the principles for pay equity claims.

 

Cee Payne NZNO Industrial Services Manager, and member of the joint working group, on Pay Equity principles says, the pay equity comparator issue needed urgent attention.

“It was necessary for progress on pay equity that the government develop legislation that enables women to choose the best male occupations to compare their skills with,” Cee Payne said.

“The previous government’s pay equity legislation was convoluted and unfairly required women to go through several unfair barriers before being allowed to select the right male occupation.

“Having a more straight forward and simple process to determine if women can proceed with a pay equity case was also a significant improvement in the revised pay equity principles, and is welcomed,” she said.

Cee Payne comments that it was fantastic to reach tripartite agreement between employer, government and union representatives – on all matters related to the new pay equity principles.

 

 

ENDS.

 

Media enquiries: NZNO media adviser Karen Coltman 027 431 2617.

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Council of Trade Unions pleased to report swift progress on pay equity principles

Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Council of Trade Unions pleased to report swift progress on pay equity principles

Richard Wagstaff, CTU President said today he was pleased to be able to formally announce the swift progress made in the tripartite union, business and public sector Joint Working Group on Pay Equity Principles, which reported back to Government last week. “This proves there is solid agreement across the board that 2018 is the year women finally get a clear process to access the wage justice they’ve been denied for over 40 years” Mr Wagstaff said.

“This Government picked up on pay equity as a priority, where the last Government veered off track and undermined what business and unions had already agreed to. The Joint Working Group has swiftly and constructively agreed that claims should be easier to lodge, that the best way to value claims is to find the most relevant male-dominated occupations, and that we should put these principles into the good law we already have.”

“I’m confident that the strength of the recommendations from both unions and the business sector will steer Government to get the pay equity principles into law this parliamentary year. This Thursday is International Women’s Day, and we’ll be presenting our equal pay petition to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner on behalf of all women making claims. I’m proud to be able to tell them we’ve just made concrete recommendations to Government on how 2018 can be the year we end wage injustice for women in New Zealand.”

The CTU will be presenting the ‘Treat Her Right’ petition with over 8.5 thousand signatures to EEO Commissioner Dr Jackie Blue on International Women’s Day, the 8th of March. Further details can be accessed here.

The CTU is now calling on the Government to take the next step by putting the pay equity principles into law before women in New Zealand start ‘working for free’ for the rest of the year, within the next 253 days.

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