Ryan Bridge: Here we go again with the nurses strikes

If you've got an appointment at the hospital this week, you might want to check it's still going ahead. 

Nurses are going on strike tomorrow from 9am for 24 hours. 4,300 surgeries and specialist appointments will be affected. 

It's a complete withdrawal of labour. It's 36,000 nurses.

It'll affect every place where Health NZ provides health or hospital care, and it's the middle of winter. 

The nurses union's been bargaining. It's the usual stuff - pay and staffing levels. 

Also as usual, they say if it's life or death, you will be seen to. 

They had a bargaining meeting yesterday with Health NZ, which didn't go well. They've been bargaining since last September and haven't found common ground yet. 
 
The nurses say they are too short staffed and departing nurses are not being replaced. And without more pay, nurses will keep being tempted across the Tasman. 

So, what were they being offered? 

Health NZ says a new graduate nurse on $75,773 would gain a total pay increase of $8,337 (or 11%) by the end of June 2026.

What's more, they say the average salary for both senior and registered nurses, including overtime, PDRP allowance, and penal rates, is $125,662.

Until these guys can sort out who's right and come to a deal, this may not be the last hospital strike we patients must endure this winter. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you've got an appointment at the hospital this week,
you might want to check it's still going ahead. Why
the nurses are going on strike tomorrow and here are
the numbers for you. Kicks off at nine am tomorrow
morning and will last twenty four hours. Four thousand, three
hundred surgeries and specialist appointments are going to be affected.
Thirty six thousand nurses taking part. It's a complete withdrawal

(00:21):
of labor. It'll affect anywhere that Health New Zealand provides
health or hospital care, so your clinics but also your
hospitals and of course the middle of winter, so great timing.
Nurses union being bargaining the usual staff pay, staffing levels
also as usual. They say it's life or death. You
will be seen to. They had a bargaining meeting yesterday

(00:44):
with Health New Zealand obviously didn't go well. They've been
bargaining since last September. The nurses say two short staffed
and your nurses who are leaving are not being replaced. However,
Health New Zealand says a new graduate nurse on seventy
five thousand dollars we'd get a total pay increase of
eight and a half thousand dollars, it's eleven percent by

(01:06):
the end of June next year. And what's more, they
say the average salary for both senior and registered nurses,
including overtime allowances and penal rates of one hundred and
twenty five grand. Until these guys sort out who's right
and come to some sort of agreement, this may not
be the last hospital strike that we patients must endure
This week. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,

(01:29):
listen live to News Talks it be from five am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.