Union Movement Supports Nurses' Strike

The Council of Trade Unions, on behalf of all affliated unions, is supporting the 30,000 members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation who will stop work tomorrow and take industrial action for eight hours to amplify their need for better pay and conditions at work.

"NZNO members are taking this stand to draw attention to the very serious issues nurses face on the job everyday, caused by a lack of staff and a long period of underinvestment in health," CTU President Richard Wagstaff said.

"Nurses are proud of the vital work they do, but they can’t work miracles in a system which is broken; that doesn’t have the capacity to provide enough staff to do what’s needed. The result is burnout and utter frustration. This strike is a call for better valuing and appreciation for the work nurses do everyday and for proper levels of investment in the future."

"We urge the Government and the District Health Boards to find a meaningful solution through a better offer which will ensure our nurses can get back to their essential work."

"I know NZNO members have not taken this decision lightly. Nurses, and other health professionals covered by this collective bargaining, working in our hospitals, and also on the front line of our health response to the global pandemic, are simply critical to our health and well-being. I know that the decision; to take industrial action has been a hard one to make."

"I look forward to showing our support by speaking to those on the picket line at the rally outside the Wellington Hospital tomorrow at noon," Wagstaff said.

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