Historic Fair Pay Settlement For Nurses & Midwives

Historic Fair Pay Settlement For Nurses and Midwives

A proposed settlement has been reached between the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the country’s 21 District Health Boards of nurses’ and midwives’ fair pay and safe staffing claim.

NZNO spokesperson Laila Harré said today the settlement achieves nurses’ pay claim by July 2006 and will lead to an independently chaired inquiry into staffing levels.

“Our members wanted a package of pay and conditions which was fair compared to other groups like teachers and police and this settlement reaches that goal in an acceptable time frame,” said Laila Harré.

“Nurses’ activism, strong public support and the backing of the wider trade union movement have made that possible.”

Spokesperson for the NZNO negotiating team, Chris Wilson said: “This agreement will be a watershed. After 14 years, our 20,000 members in the DHBs have regained a single national collective agreement.”

The proposed settlement is recommended by the negotiating team and will be taken to ratification meetings beginning in early February 2005.

The settlement will move the registered staff nurse pay scale from the current range of around $33,000 - $45000 to a new range of $40,000 - $54,000. Additional payments of up to $4,000 recognising professional development will now apply nationally.

Senior nurses’ pay will rise by 21% over the term as they move to a new national scale.

NZNO’s pay claim for enrolled nurses and health care assistants has also been agreed.

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