Over 100 nurses and supporters rally outside Gisborne Hospital for nationwide strike

Heavy rain did not deter Tairāwhiti’s nurses from taking their concerns about safe staffing levels to the public outside Gisborne Hospital on Wednesday morning.

Over 100 nurses and supporters in Gisborne braved the weather, spurred on by honks of support from passing vehicles, adding their voice to the nationwide 24-hour strike in response to failed negotiations with Health NZ Te Whatu Ora and concerns about staffing levels and safety.

Gisborne nurses earlier participated in two 24-hour strikes in May this year, along with a Fight Back for Health hīkoi and public meeting.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Gisborne Hospital delegate Christine Warrander said the turnout in the pouring rain reflected the anger of nurses whose collective agreement expired in October.

She believed NZ Health was “playing hardball” with nurses.

“We are just going to be playing hardball back,” said Warrander.

She said the main concerns for nurses across the country were patient safety and staffing levels.

About 36,000 NZ Health nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora across the country began their strike at 9am Wednesday, and will continue striking until 9am Thursday.

Gisborne Hospital nurses, striking for 24 hours with their nationwide colleagues, present their concerns about unsafe staffing levels to the public outside the hospital on Wednesday. Photo / Wynsley Wrigley

A Health NZ statement said the organisation “takes responsibility for operational and patient safety decisions seriously as we are accountable for the safety of patients who access our services”.

Warrander said many of this year’s nursing graduates had not been employed by Health NZ, other nurses were not being replaced as they left, nurses on sick leave were not being covered, and Health NZ was trying to cut down on overtime.

“That makes it very difficult and scary. Our patients are not getting the care they deserve,” she said.

“If you get a sick patient at the end of your shift, you just can’t walk out.”

Warrander said staffing was not just a numbers issue as there was also a skills mix as younger nurses “were not up to speed yet”.

She said Health NZ was not committing to Care Capacity Demand Management, which calculated the number of nurses required based on patient needs and acuity.

Nurses wanted a nurse-patient ratio to be set.

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

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

Warrander believes Health NZ’s wage offer did not match the cost of living and disputed Health NZ’s claim that the average registered nurse makes $125,000 annually.

Health Minister Simeon Brown’s office had earlier supplied the NZ Herald figures from Health NZ showing an average registered nurse earns $125,662 when including allowances, super payments and overtime.

Warrander said a nurse would have to work long hours, work fulltime, earn all possible penal rates and be on the Professional Development and Recognition Programme to earn that much.

In a statement, Health NZ said its offer to NZNO was “a fair one”.

“We value the hard work and dedication of our nursing staff and we are disappointed that NZNO is taking strike action when there is a fair offer on the table.”

Nurses intend to picket again outside Gisborne Hospital on Thursday before their 24-hour strike ends at 9am.