Source: Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi
Nurse Maude care and support workers will strike again on Monday 10 August, after their employer failed to come back with an acceptable offer for these workers, following their first strike on 31 July.
They will be joined on strike by around 35 workers at Nurse Maude’s Care Coordination Centres in the Wellington region, known as ‘CareCo’, in a separate dispute over pay. In total, around 285 PSA members across Nurse Maude will take strike action tomorrow.
“After bargaining, Nurse Maude is still not giving these workers a fair pay deal and it’s still trying to strip two days of sick leave from a workforce that can’t afford to get sick on the job,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association, Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
Speaking to journalist Chris Lynch last week, Nurse Maude Chief Executive Louise Zacest said that the team was negotiating in good faith and that the organisation remained hopeful of reaching a settlement that was fair to everyone.
“Nurse Maude’s Chief Executive talks about a settlement that is fair to everyone. There’s nothing fair about where these workers already stand. Their pay equity claim was cancelled, and now this employer is refusing to give them a fair pay offer,” Fitzsimons said.
“If the organisation is genuinely negotiating in good faith, workers would have seen a fair offer by now. They haven’t.”
Workers at CareCo also employed by Nurse Maude, who assess older people’s care needs and coordinate the support they receive across the Wellington region, have only been offered 2% for Care Managers and 2.5% for admin staff on pay, which is well below inflation. Nurse Maude is refusing to move on this.
“The pay offer is effectively a pay cut once you account for the cost of living,” Fitzsimons said.
“These workers are already struggling to make ends meet on low pay. They simply can’t take a pay cut.
“Nurse Maude needs to bring a fair pay offer for care and support workers and put a fair offer to CareCo workers. The door is open to settle this dispute.”
Picket details
- Christchurch — 8:30am — Cnr Papanui Road & Mansfield Ave, Merivale
- Nelson — 8:00am — Outside Nurse Maude’s Offices, 4 Kidson Place, Stoke
- Hutt Valley — 8:30am — Cnr High Street and Daysh Street, Avalon, Lower Hutt
- Kāpiti — 8:30am — Cnr of Te Roto Drive and Kāpiti Road (near Bin Inn)
- Mana, Porirua — 8:30am — Mana Esplanade, down from the bridge (near NZ Sea Adventures)
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.