Southern medical centres and GP practices are prepared for a strike by primary care nurses today, WellSouth says.
Mediation talks held on Tuesday failed to avert today’s eight-hour strike by New Zealand Nurses Organisation members.
An estimated 3200 primary healthcare nurses, receptionist and administration staff nationwide are seeking pay parity with district health board staff.
WellSouth practice network director Paul Rowe said the primary health organisation was communicating regularly with its practice network.
"Clearly, this industrial action will impact general practices’ ability to operate as usual, but there’s been sufficient notice and practice teams have planned appropriately with patient safety as their priority," he said.
"We value the contribution of the primary care nursing workforce and hope that future industrial action can be averted with an agreement that acknowledges primary care nurses and the need for financially sustainable general practices."
NZNO industrial adviser Chris Wilson said negotiations had been going on for nearly a year, and it was unacceptable that no resolution had been reached.
"The Government has known about the urgency of pay parity in primary healthcare for at least a year, and to not pull out all stops to address the serious recruitment and retention issues is beyond belief," she said.
Meanwhile, a planned strike tomorrow by Southern Community Laboratories staff who are members of the Apex union may have been averted. A union spokesman said staff were considering a new offer from their employers, and would decide today whether to proceed with strike action.
