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Wednesday, December 4, 2024

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Healthcare strike: 36,000 nurses and midwives demand better pay and patient safety

Nurses strike 2024
Stock photo.

Around 36,000 nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants across the country have gone on an eight-hour strike, citing critical concerns over patient safety and inadequate compensation.

The walkout from 11am to 7pm today comes as collective bargaining between the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and Health New Zealand has stalled, particularly over the suspension of the Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM) programme. The system ensures safe staffing levels based on patient needs in real time, which union members argue is essential to preventing deteriorating care standards. NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter warned that under-resourcing and sub-inflationary pay offers could push more nurses to leave the profession or move overseas. Nurses emphasized the strike’s focus on improving safety for patients and ensuring fair wages to counter rising living costs.

Health New Zealand defended its position, stating that nurses’ pay had increased substantially in recent years, though NZNO dismissed this as misleading since much of the raise came from historic pay equity settlements. Health NZ assured the public that hospitals and emergency services would remain operational during the strike, though some appointments were postponed.

Image credit: Luis Melendez

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Anybody who has been in hospital will bear testament to the fact that nurses and other health care workers are angels when you are down and in need of help
    And do not deserve to be treated as disposable items and crap but must be recognized for their merit and worth
    And definitely not forced to be injected with pathogenic toxic debilitating carcinogenic substances to keep food on the table
    Never forget

  2. We could pay them what they deserve if we stopped the treaty gravy train….
    And accordingly maori would benefit most.
    As we know statistically their health is worse.
    Wake up Kiwi the UN,WHO&WEF are out to divide and destroy.
    Stop agenda 2030

    • None so truer words has been spoken.

      Health care staff are important and are highly educated. There’s a lot of tossers being paid for doing little, like the MSM and their jobs are dwindling.

      I’d have to say though, in the private sector people are doing it tough out there, more so than the teachers and nurses. But they have us over a barrel don’t they? They know they’re in demand. Stupidity of the govt. for ditching the healthcare workers in the first place, then the inadequate training facilities.

      • Yes, my point too, they seem to strike very often, and get paid very well already, more so than many. Not very caring of them when times are tough for everyone due to terrible overspending of our previous govt.

        Have the moral fortitude to be grateful for the job you have and the money you receive nurses.

    • A liability and not an asset
      Like this treaty which isn’t worth the paper its written on
      No forestry or fisheries
      Or customary rights in the original articles of the treaty
      NZ has turned into a pathetic joke

  3. A f***ing disgrace. National Labour, both have failed on the healthcare front conspicuously and continue to do so. My advice next time vote for someone else!

    • Labour created a duplicate Health administration for maori only. I think Labour is the big Losers here. National want to make it right again, sack the unnecessary administration staff. I bet they are sacking security staff instead of the woke people that hinder improvements (they are dumb).

  4. This is a National disgrace!
    Nurses were given a significant pay rise under Labour and this appears to have created a perceived level of entitlement year after year. If they don’t like it, they strike!
    Today a relative is due life preserving dialysis treatment. The treatment was ‘cancelled ‘due to the strike and changed to Monday and Thursday. Even worse, they have been advised that treatment times will likely change over Christmas due to skeleton staff scheduled over the holiday period.
    Since when do the Nurses dictate how and when patients receive treatment?
    There are 3000 newly trained Nurses looking for jobs. Maybe it is time for those individuals prepared to strike to decide if they are dedicated to their role or whether they take their disgruntled, entitled views elsewhere and make way for those who are ready and able to work.

  5. Did not see you striking when your work mates were being sacked for not taking the Covid jab ,looks like it’s come back to bite you on the arse ,good job.

  6. Who played their part operating 600 ventilators
    covid killing in our hospitals, round it up to 666 + $60k.

    Complicit with crimes against humanity or not? Silence says…yes!

    Give us another clown dance video little sweetie pies…

    God is watching. Repent now.

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