Nurses pay dispute outcome affects all workers

By Don Franks

“It is clear to all parties that there is no further additional funding available for this MECA. The Government has made this clear repeatedly to all parties and publicly. On this basis we believe further strike action is highly unlikely to deliver any further improvements for our members.”

That’s a recommendation to union members from the NZ Nurses Organisation, just posted on Facebook by a union member who has issues with the union head office stance, Al Dietschin of the Health Sector Workers Network.

Al notes, this amounts to “(t)rying to convince us to surrender because they’d rather help the Government keep the BRR/fiscal restraint policy intact” and suggests an alternative strategy: “If we were to strike again, aligned it with other public service/sector unions actions, and if we organised cross union pickets of Labour Party offices, we could force the purse strings open.”

I have issues myself, partly because, as an older citizen, I’m increasingly likely to require the assistance of nurses. I want them to be properly paid so they are concentrating on the job of looking after me and are not distracted by economic discomfort. At the moment, nurses definitely have the right to be distracted, because they’re not getting paid enough and because, quite frankly, right now, their union is letting them down.

As one of the parties involved in this dispute, it is not at all clear to me that “there is no further additional funding available”. There’s plenty of government money, it’s just going in the wrong directions.

For example, there’s plenty of money for death and destruction. $360 million cash boost will help the New Zealand Defence Force “continue making meaningful contributions to global security and peacekeeping efforts,” Defence Minister Ron Mark says.

Budget 2018 provides $367.7m in extra operating funding to Defence portfolios over the next four years, underpinned by an extra $324.1m for the NZDF operating budget.

And we’ve just had the example of the goernment spending over $(NZ)2 billion on planes that can hunt submarines.

“Global security”means war pacts with the United States. “Peacekeeping efforts” means extending control to serve New Zealand business interestsaround the world, especially in the Pacific region.

There are many other examples of misspent public money, but it’s not the job of any union to echo what any government has “made clear repeatedly”. Especially when that echo is used in their very next sentence to justify acceptance of a previously rejected offer.

But this is really none of my business I hear someone from the Nurses Union office saying. I’m not a member of the NZ Nurses Organisation and therefore have no right to comment.

I claim that right, however. Because all members of the working class will be affected by the outcome of this dispute. Its result will either strengthen or weaken our side. A decent increase in pay and conditions for nurses will inspire other workers to take action themselves. A demoralising fob off will send the false negative signal that goverments are all-powerful and there’s no point trying to move them.

Either way, the result will impact on other workers; like it or not, we are interested parties in the dispute. That’s why it’s the responsibility of all workers, not just nurses, to speak up and reject the bullshit presently emanating from the NZNO office.

There is additional funding. Nurses are entitled to it. The rest of us other workers need to actively help them make the breakthrough.

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