CTU MEDIA RELEASE
07 December 2006

Massive Primary Health Workers Achievement A Signal To Private Sector

“The success of primary healthcare workers is a strong signal that with the right will and intent, private sector employers can bargain collectively for industry standards in pay in conditions,” CTU president Ross Wilson said.

“Covering nearly six hundred workplaces, the proposed Multi Employer Collective Agreement (MECA) between the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and primary health care employers, announced today, is the biggest multi-employer agreement in the country.”

“Practice nurses and administrative staff in NZNO must be congratulated for their significant success in the campaign to achieve this MECA, and their move towards pay parity with public hospitals.”

“This agreement will go a long way to ensuring that nurses are valued and retained in primary health care services and organisations, which are a corner stone of the health service and critical in building a strong healthy population.”

“Agreements like these show the strength workers have when they bargain collectively in unions. It is no surprise that there was record numbers of new workers joining unions last year,” Ross Wilson said.

ENDS

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