WellSouth PHO Staff To Strike For 7 Days After 1% Offer

Primary care mental health professionals at WellSouth Primary Healthcare Organisation in Otago/Southland are on strike for 7 days after receiving an insulting 1% pay offer.

The strike comes after 5 months of bargaining between APEX and WellSouth. WellSouth have received a 3% uplift in Ministry of Health funding for the HIP programme, but despite this are only offering a 1% pay rise to HIP salaries. Elsewhere in the country, similar organisations who have also received a 3% increase in funding have passed this on in full to HIPs, in stark contrast to WellSouth.

It is notable that the HIP group at WellSouth is also the highest performing HIP service in the country winning the award for the Best Mental Health Programme in the recent New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards.

“Instead of celebrating their achievements, WellSouth is offering their HIPs lower salary increases than their colleagues in other regions.” said Dr. Kerry Appleton, APEX Associate Advocate.

“HIPs play an integral role in our health system, and we are surprised to see WellSouth happy to take the increase in government funding, but not happy to pass it on to their hard-working staff,”

“It is unfortunate to see a primary care organisation bargaining like this. Every other day we hear of PHOs’ difficulty recruiting health professionals – this behaviour certainly does not help.”

Background:

Primary care mental health professionals, known as Health Improvement Practitioners (HIPs) are registered health practitioners, from professions such as social work, occupational therapy, mental health or counselling who specialise in primary care interventions providing support and brief interventions alongside general practice and primary care for those with mental health, addiction and long-term health problems.

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