Stop work meetings are being held across the country’s public hospital system over the next few weeks to discuss proposed employment law changes that could undermine collective bargaining.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation is inviting its 26,000 members who work in district health boards to attend the one to two hour stop work meetings to hear more about the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, which was introduced to parliament in late April.
Lesley Harry, NZNO industrial advisor says the Government bill would make collective bargaining much harder for employers and employees and would also allow employers to opt out of multi-employer collective bargaining.
The NZNO reinstated national bargaining and a national multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) with DHBs in 2004, during the Fair Pay campaign, which resulted in a sizable boost for nursing pay and conditions across the country.
Harry said the DHB MECA made it possible for the nursing team to provide ‘safe, quality and consistent care throughout the country’.
“Allowing the fragmentation of employees’ terms and conditions will result in a fragmented and stressed health system,” said Harry.
The meetings began this week and continue until August 23. Harry said nurses would be discussing what changes under the proposed law would mean for them and their practice.
“They will also be letting their DHB employers know how much they appreciate working within the partnership of a multi-employer collective agreement.”
