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More than 36,000 nurses take two-day strike action
- More than 36,000 Nurses Organisation members are striking 7am – 11pm, Tuesday and Thursday.
- Health NZ estimates 2250 planned procedures, 3600 first specialist appointments and 8000 follow-up appointments will be postponed due to the strikes.
Nearly 14,000 patients are having operations, procedures and appointments postponed this week, during two days strike action by Nurses Organisation members.
It follows nearly a year of deadlocked negotiations between the union and Health NZ, which culminated in a 24-hour strike at the end of July.
Health NZ chief executive Dr Dale Bramley. Photo: Supplied / Te Whatu Ora
Health NZ chief executive Dr Dale Bramley said the agency was committed to ensuring patient safety during the strikes, which he was “deeply concerned will result in delays to treatment, services and care for an estimated 13,850 patients”.
“Contingency plans are in place to ensure those who need care the most will still be able to receive it, but the planned strikes will see our hospitals disrupted for the entire week,” he said.
“They will cause further delay to patients waiting for treatment, disrupt treatment and care for those already in hospital and set back our work to improve access to services.”
More than 300 graduate nurses who were due to start work on Monday have had their start date delayed a week as a result of the industrial action, he said.
“We have listened to our nurses’ concerns on safe services and the employment of graduate nurses and we are ready and willing to work with the union on solutions.
“We are absolutely committed to ensuring that we have the right staff and skill mix to deliver quality, safe patient care.”
However, Nurses Organisation president Anne Daniels said management was refusing to give any guarantee on safe staffing levels, which were critical to patient care.
“It’s unprecedented to have two full-day strikes within one week.
“That reflects to me the extreme anger that our members have towards Health NZ and the government over not putting on the table something we can talk about.
“Our Minister of Health keeps telling us to come back to the table, but nothing new is put on the table – so what is the point?”
NZNO delegate Noreen McCallan said the two-day strike action was not taken lightly by members.
“We are doing this because we fear for the safety of our patients. We will lose two days’ pay for striking but we are standing up for safe staffing because it is the right thing to do.
“We became health workers because we want to care for people. But staff shortages have become overwhelming and exhausting for many of us. Our patients are suffering longer because we can’t get to them as quickly as we should.”
NZNO members will spending their strike time doing a range of activities including hikoi, pickets, candlelight vigils, food bank drivers, blood bank donations, sausage sizzles and BBQs.
Hospitals and all emergency departments would remain open during the strike, with a small number of staff providing life-preserving services.
Health NZ’s advises:
- People requiring non-emergency care should contact their GP or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 in the first instance.
- All emergency departments will remain open.
- Patients in hospital will receive safe care.
- Unless patients are contacted directly, they should attend any scheduled outpatient appointment or treatment
RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
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