Labour Responsible For Nurse Pay Stand-Off

Wednesday 8 Sep 2004

Heather Roy - Press Releases - Health

The politicking of Women's Affairs Minister Ruth Dyson and Health Minister Annette King is the biggest factor in nurses' representatives rejecting the pay offer by District Health Boards throughout the country, ACT New Zealand Health spokesman Heather Roy said today.

"The Ministers' political posturing at the delivery of the nurses' petition in June, and their trumpeting that pay equity work is well advanced, has understandably raised nurses' expectations to unprecedented levels," Mrs Roy said.

"In fact, upon receiving the petition on the steps of Parliament, in front of cheering protestors and TV cameras, Ms Dyson made the extraordinary move of indicating that the enormous payments that go with pay equity would be realised.

"And, when asked if she believed nurses might be disappointed in their bid for pay equity, she the Minister replied: `I don't think so'.

"Nurses do deserve more but now, eyeing the upcoming election and bolstered by Ministerial support, the Nurses' Union is determined to get more than what is being offered.

"The ultimate cost of the settlement to the taxpayer, as well as any loss of services through strike action, should not be blamed on the DHBs. Responsibility for this should be laid firmly at the feet of Minister's King and Dyson, who simply could not contain their desire to impress a key political support group," Mrs Roy said.

ENDS

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