Nurses in Schools a Boost for Low-Income Working Families
Nurses in Schools a Boost for Low-Income Working
Families
The Service and Food Workers
Union Ngā Ringa Tota supports the Green Party’s Nurses in
Schools proposal, announced today.
“Thousands
and thousands of families struggling on poverty pay rates in
New Zealand are counting every cent they spend,” said SFWU
National Secretary John Ryall. “Basic heath care should be
an absolute right of all children, and should not depend on
whether there is money left over after providing food and
shelter to pay for it.”
The Service and Food
Workers Union represents 22,000 workers in some of New
Zealand’s lowest paying jobs, including cleaning,
caregiving, security and other service work.
“Our members are both dollar and time poor,”
said John Ryall. “Not only do they earn very low wages,
many work long and anti-social hours. They face too many
barriers in accessing health care for their children. The
provision of nurses in schools would help put their children
on a more even playing field.”
John Ryall said
the most important way to address poverty was by lifting
household incomes.
“Poverty wages need to end
and momentum is building for a living wage,” he said.
“But initiatives like the Nurses in Schools proposal would
provide support for low-income working families and reduce
the impact of poverty on their
children.”
ENDS