Family planning services in Dunedin and Invercargill could be disrupted by planned industrial action in mid-December. It would be the first time Family Planning staff had gone on strike.
About 100 NZ Nurses Organisation-represented nurses, medical receptionists/administrators and health promoters nationwide plan to strike for 24 hours from 7am on December 13.
Action by Family Planning staff is the latest in a series of disruptions in the health sector, which in recent months have seen nurses, radiation technicians and midwives walk off the job.
NZNO and Family Planning have been in negotiations since March, and mediation in August was unsuccessful.
NZNO advocate Chris Wilson said pay for Family Planning nurses was at least 6% less than for a comparable role within the district health board, and additional skills were needed to work for Family Planning.
"Family Planning is a public health organisation providing incredibly valuable work for our community," she said.
"But it is simply unsustainable and unfair for our members to be paid less than the going rate for their work."
NZNO and Family Planning are required to attend mediation before the strike, and Ms Wilson hoped funding could be found to settle the dispute.
Family Planning national operations director Kirsty Walsh said the organisation was notified of the strike action yesterday and was still making plans for how to cope.
"At this stage it is likely that Dunedin will remain open with a reduced service and Invercargill will be closed," she said.
"Clients who had booked appointments on December 13 have been rescheduled and where we can, these appointments have been brought forward.
"We will also be able to offer some services, e.g. emergency contraception, via phone consultations."
