Southern Presbyterian Support Strike Action

19 October 2005

Strike Action In Southern Presbyterian Support Aged Care To Go Ahead

Strike action will go ahead tomorrow in hospitals and rest homes across Southland, Otago and South Canterbury.

380 members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the Service and Food Workers Union will strike from 7am to 11am and again from 3pm to 7pm. The strike will impact on fourteen hospitals and rest homes from Timaru to Invercargill.

Striking workers will picket PS offices in Invercargill and Dunedin from 9am tomorrow and in other areas will picket aged care facilities.

NZNO advocate Lorraine Lobb said it was disappointing that PS had not seen the last couple of days as an opportunity to avert strike action.

“The employers have failed to agree to a union proposal to a modest pay increase now and a guarantee that future increased government funding would be passed on to their employees,” she said.

“Every party involved in the newly formed Labour-led government has a commitment to increased aged care funding to address the shockingly low pay in the sector. Our members are asking PS to commit to passing that increased funding to their workers.”

Lorraine Lobb said the PS has remained adamant that there would be no negotiations until late next year, regardless of whether there is increased government funding, intended for the underpaid aged care workforce.

“Presbyterian Support’s pay offer is out of step with other significant settlements in the sector and has left our members with no option but to take this action,” she said.

ENDS

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