Pay Nurses More - For The RIGHT Reasons

Thursday 13 May 2004 Heather Roy Press Releases -- Other

ACT New Zealand Women's Affairs Spokesman Heather Roy today revealed that a six percent boost to nurses' salaries and wages, to be delivered in two or three phases over the next year, is on the way.

"This boost - which will be in addition to the usual pay round increases - was brought to my attention by reliable departmental sources, and will make a significant difference to nurses' incomes," Mrs Roy said.

"Nurses should be paid more because they deserve it - not because police earn more and is a male-dominated profession. The philosophical basis of Labour's looming pay equity boost is totally wrong.

"If the Government truly believed that nurses deserved better pay, it would not - in its four Budgets to date - have allocated only 2.55 percent to DHBs each year for nurses' salary and wage increases, leaving DHBs having to find money elsewhere to settle above 2.55 percent.

"This boost in nurses' salaries is simply part of Labour's drive to achieve equalised outcomes through centralised legislation and social engineering, and reveals the deep feminist `equality of outcome' view that is so strong in Labour today.

"This Government is looking at things back-to-front. Rather than starting at the end and imposing equalised incomes, Labour should focus on the beginning - strengthening families, and providing better opportunities for all families in education, healthcare and other services.

"ACT believes in fair processes that guarantee equal treatment and equal opportunity. While this does not always guarantee equal outcomes for all kinds of reasons, political correct smoothing of differences between very different professions will not achieve equity within, or between, the sexes," Mrs Roy said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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