Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Nurses protest pay, conditions at Middlemore
About 200 nurses have been protesting in the rain at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital over pay and work conditions.
Nurses protest at Middlemore Hospital. Photo: RNZ / Jessie Chiang
About 200 nurses have been protesting in the rain at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital over pay and work conditions.
The Nurses Organisation is holding rallies around the country after it rejected an offer of a 2 percent pay rise, with its first rally in Wellington yesterday.
Many of the members were holding placards saying they wanted better pay.
Caroline Donaldson, who works as an emergency department nurse, said nurses are understaffed and underpaid.
"We are stretched to our limits as the population is getting bigger as well - we're just working harder and faster," she said.
"We just need to refocus on nurses and patient care and that way we need [safe] patient ratio."
"We're losing valuable nurses to overseas [jobs]."
Another nurse at the protest, who had just finished her late shift at Middlemore Hospital, said she had worked there for a decade and it's become staffing issues had become increasingly worse.
Nurses often had to take on more patients, she said.
"They don't replace staff for us when staff call [in] sick and then we have a heavy patient load," she said.
"It's really unsafe for the staff and for the patients.
There will be a second protest outside Middlemore Hospital this afternoon.
The DHB says patient services will not be affected and anyone needing emergency treatment or with an appointment should go to their hospital as normal.
RNZ
New Zealand's public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
Peter Dunne: Luxon Gets Out His Butcher's Knife - Briefly
Binoy Kampmark: Warring Against Encryption, Australia Is Coming For Your Communications
Gordon Campbell: On Fast Track Powers, Media Woes And The Tiktok Ban
Binoy Kampmark: Censorship Wars, Elon Musk, Safety Commissioners And Violent Content
Gordon Campbell: On The Public Sector Carnage, And Misogyny As Terrorism
Ramzy Baroud: NATO’s Never-ending War: The 75-Year-Old Bully Is Faltering