Middle ground needed in healthcare dispute for the sake of public – Editorial

Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation in Whanganui went on a 24-hour strike last week, joining colleagues nationwide calling for better pay and safer staffing. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown

Editorial

• There is an ongoing dispute between Health NZ and healthcare workers.
• Health NZ offered nurses a 3% pay rise; the New Zealand Nurses Organisation sought 5% and additional allowances.
• Association of Salaried Medical Specialists director Sarah Dalton highlighted the need for compromise, noting room for negotiation between 1% and 12%.

The longer disputes between Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora healthcare workers continue, the worse it gets for everyone in need of healthcare services.

A middle ground needs to be found between Health NZ and striking nurses and doctors.

The 24-hour nurses’ strike across the country last week came after senior medical staff went on strike twice in May, also for reasons including inadequate pay and staffing levels.

Our healthcare staff deserve to be compensated properly for their work, and our medical facilities should be adequately staffed.

Health NZ and the Government are certainly aware of this, but reaching a solution is not as simple as agreeing to the demands of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).

Across the Government’s Budget, Health NZ is competing with the funding needs of housing, education, transport and more, all amid a cost-of-living crisis for the average Kiwi.

Health NZ offered nurses a 3% pay rise over 27 months, plus two lump sum payments of $325.

The NZNO sought a 5% pay rise over two years, along with $2000 flat rate increases for senior positions. The union also sought to restore a tikanga Māori allowance.

ASMS executive director Sarah Dalton earlier told the Herald hospital specialists sought a 12% pay rise but were being offered an increase of less than 1% per year.

Health NZ has described its offers to nurses and senior medical staff as “fair”.

Dalton acknowledged at the time that 12% may not be achievable but said the dispute may not be settled without a better offer.

There is room for Health NZ to manoeuvre between 1% and 12%. Dalton’s acknowledgment shows that compromise, at least where ASMS is concerned, is not impossible.

Health Minister Simeon Brown estimated 4300 procedures, such as hip and knee operations, were delayed because of the 24-hour strike on May 1.

Wait times for elective surgeries have already ballooned since the Covid pandemic, and the wait for specialist appointments and operations has continued to grow in many regions.

In February, the Herald reported all of the country’s hospital emergency departments were failing to assess patients with “imminently” or “potentially” life-threatening conditions on time.

Striking doctors and nurses have rightfully pointed out staffing issues, with Health NZ recognising another 4100 nurses were needed in the next decade, on top of 2250 nursing vacancies, despite half of nursing graduates not getting job offers from Health NZ last year.

Another 3450 doctors were needed in the next decade to keep up with demand.

Concessions are needed from both Health NZ and its striking staff.

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