Work is already under way to recruit employees to meet safe staffing requirements to be implemented under the now settled nurses' pay dispute, the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) says.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) members yesterday brought a year-long employment contract dispute to a close by accepting the fifth offer made to the union by district health boards.
NZNO industrial services manager Cee Payne did not reveal voting numbers, but said a ''significant majority'' of members had voted yes.
The Southern DHB had been allocated $2.46million as its share of the $38million set aside for DHBs to provide immediate staffing relief, chief executive Chris Fleming said.
''We are delighted that NZNO members have accepted the DHBs' latest offer for settlement,'' he said.
''Recruitment has already commenced for immediate staffing relief.''
The dispute came to a head in July when NZNO members went on strike - the first national nurses' strike in 30 years.
That stop-work resulted in DHBs offering to bring forward the introduction of new pay bands for nurses, and propose a new way of ensuring the care capacity and demand management (CCDM) system - the policy to ensure safe staffing levels - was in force in all DHBs.
Health Minister David Clark also proposed a ''safe staffing accord'', a document signed on July 31, which commits to having more nurses on the wards by 2021.
Mr Fleming said the SDHB was committed to accelerating the CCDM programme.
''(We) expect to be well ahead of the ministry target date of December 2021,'' he said.
''We have yet to establish exactly how many nurses will be needed, as that will be determined through the CCDM programme.''
The Otago Daily Times spoke to several Dunedin Hospital nurses yesterday.
None wished to be named, but all supported the agreement.
''I'm very happy; I'm glad it's all over,'' one said, while another said ''I feel we have been listened to, and I'm glad we won't have to go on strike again.''
Not all nurses were pleased.
The NZNO turned off comments on its Facebook page and asked that questions be emailed to it, due to the vitriol of some postings.
``You haven't listened to many, many health care professionals,'' one nurse posted, while another said ``NZNO and DHBs have not listened to nurses at all - why accept a reshuffled offer that was twice rejected?''
The agreement covers many other health sector workers as well as nurses, and entails many changes to allowances, pay rates and conditions.
In general though, NZNO members will receive a one-off payment of $2000, as well as annual pay hikes for the next three years - most will receive rises between 12-16% over that period.
Extra salary steps are also introduced for registered nurses, registered midwives, and enrolled nurses.
In addition to those pay rises, the Government has committed to resolving the NZNO's pay equity claim by the end of 2019 - an agreement which is likely to bring further substantial pay rises for nurses.
