PSA Press Release

Union Members Resolve No Confidence

PSA members affected by the recent restructure of Public Health South (PHS) have voted no confidence in the PHS manager and the restructuring that has cost four union members their jobs, PSA organiser Mark Ryan said today.

The jobs lost include three public health nurse positions. In all, six resolutions were passed as members expressed their anger and concern at the restructuring and the way it has been handled by senior ODHB management.

Mark Ryan said the six resolutions passed were:

No trust and confidence in Peter Bassett as the manager of PHS; Demand the reinstatement of the union members made redundant; No confidence in the review process and outcomes; Demand that the CEO review the PHS review, its’ processes, outcomes and implementation; Inform and consult the community about the review and possible outcomes; The CEO to meet with the union and members to agree on a way forward.

"These resolutions should be a wake-up call for ODHB CEO Brian Rousseau. He has presided over a process of change that has destroyed the trust and confidence of the staff who are responsible for discharging essential public health services to the Otago and Southland communities. Some of these services include public health nursing, cervical smear testing, vision & hearing testing, dental care for schools, health promotion, health protection and Maori public health.

“The review has produced a lemon - with some very experienced staff losing their jobs. There has been little or no community involvement in the changes that ODHB has pushed through and a complete lack of genuine consultation with staff over the proposals. Even now there is no clear idea how the changes will be implemented in practice even though the redundant staff finished last Friday.”

Mark Ryan said that Invercargill PHS members would hold their stopwork meeting next week on April 8.

ENDS

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