Nurses picket their workplace

Access Community Healthcare workers launched industrial action yesterday outside their Macandrew...
Access Community Healthcare workers launched industrial action yesterday outside their Macandrew Rd office after wage talks stalled. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Nurses for Access Community Healthcare picketed outside their workplace in Macandrew Rd yesterday, as wage talks have become protracted.

Despite further talks after their first strike on July 15, the nurses voted to down tools after rejecting the counter offer by Access.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate Anne Daniel said the nurses should have parity with those who worked for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand (HNZ).

"The last offer was an extra $1 per hour, backdated to July [this year] ... the talks have gone on for a year."

Access Community Healthcare specialised in home-based healthcare and support.

"Right now, the workers are being used as a ping pong ball between the company and HNZ — both are blaming each other for the lack of funding.

"This blame game has got to stop; otherwise there will be more pressure on hospital services.

"These people are on the front line and they need to be supported to stay there."

Nurse Cyrin Stroud said Access Community Healthcare provided support for a wide range of clients and employed more than 150 community nurses nationwide.

"The whole push by HNZ is to keep people in their homes.

"But in this setting, nurses get pulled away from these roles and into the higher-paying roles at HNZ. It happens all the time and it stretches resources."

Ms Daniel said without the service of organisations such as Access, her autistic grandsons would not get the care they needed.

"Without the help of these nurses, our family would fall over. And I'm just a single example out of hundreds and thousands."

Access Community Healthcare has been approached for comment.

matthew.littlewood@odt.co.nz

 

 

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