Claims for 2024 NZNO/Te Whatu Ora bargaining
These are the proposed claims for the 2024 NZNO/Te Whatu Ora collective agreement bargaining.
Between 29 July and 5 August members will vote on whether to endorse these claims for bargaining. All NZNO members employed by Te Whatu Ora have been emailed about this. If you have not received an email please contact [email protected]
These proposed claims were informed by NZNO’s Maranga Mai! campaign, in particular, the Maranga Mai! five fixes which seek to address the nursing and midwifery workforce crisis. The claims development process was a democratic one which included worksite meetings led by delegates and organisers and an electronic claims survey open to all members. All members had the opportunity to contribute to the development of our claims and now it's important that all members vote in the endorsement ballot.
The claims are outlined below as they will be presented in bargaining.
You can also download a handout of the proposed claims here.
NZNO claims for the renegotiation of the Te Whatu Ora Collective agreement
Removing part of the CA coverage exclusion
1. Amend cl. 2 include senior nursing and midwifery roles which are currently excluded.
2. Introduction of a wage scale for new roles covered by the collective agreement.
3. Include roles in the designated senior titles
Wages
4. Considering increases to the cost of living over the preceding years, members are seeking a general wage increase which restores the value of wage increases through collective bargaining eroded by the high cost of living.
5. Increases to allowances to restore the value eroded by high cost of living increases.
6. An additional increase for members on the designated senior scales, restoring value and recognising the need to recruit and retain the senior nursing and midwifery workforce.
7. An additional step in the Enrolled Nurse pay scale, reflecting the forthcoming expanded scope of practice.
8. Te Whatu Ora to become a living wage employer.
Term of the collective agreement
9. Two years, from 1 November 2024 – 31 October 2026
Implementation of the collective agreement
10. At the point a proposed settlement is reached, a timeframe for the implementation of the collective agreement and payments will be agreed. In the event that this timeframe is not met, penalties will apply to Te Whatu Ora. This reflects Te Whatu Ora’s consistent inability to meet deadlines as the Employment Relations Authority recognised in the decision to impose penalties following delays in pay equity payments.
Holidays Act remediation payments
11. The payment of interest on all remediation payments from 4 January 2021 to the date at which remediation is completed.
Actualisation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi
12. Kaupapa Māori processes for dispute resolution must be available as required by members and this process is authentically resourced by Te Whatu Ora.
13. Tikanga allowance in recognition of instances where employees who are not directly employed in cultural roles, use their knowledge of Te Reo Māori me onā Tikanga to support Te Whatu Ora’s cultural obligations (for example but not limited to pōwhiri, whakatau).
Health and Safety
14. Te Whatu Ora will ensure health and safety representatives:
a. Have adequate time to undertake their functions and exercise their powers. At a minimum this will equate to eight hours of rostered work time for a health and safety representative per six weeks (or other equivalent arrangement) in addition to health and safety committee meetings. The parties to this agreement will also discuss release time arrangements (including back filling) for HSRs undertaking significant committee, project, regional or national work.
b. Have adequate resources to undertake their functions and exercise their powers including reasonable access to Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora information technology systems, noticeboards and other resources needed to undertake their role.
c. Are provided with any information necessary as soon as practicable to enable the health and safety representative to perform his or her functions or exercise his or her powers.
d. Te Whatu Ora will ensure timely access to training for health and safety representatives.
Safe staffing
15. Te Whatu Ora to commit to a process which will provide the evidence base necessary to establish staff to patient ratios which are culturally appropriate. This process includes three phases:
a. Research
b. Analysis and determination of possible solution
c. Progressive implementation
16. Te Whatu Ora reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM).
17. Te Whatu Ora commits to the actualisation of the seven elements of safe staffing and will work with NZNO on their implementation.
18. Te Whatu Ora will provide full employment for new graduates in permanent roles.
19. Te Whatu Ora will immediately recruit and release budget for roles identified in the CCDM fte calculation recommended roster.
20. Te Whatu Ora commits to the timely recruitment of staff vacancies.
Kiwisaver
21. Increase the employers contribution to 6%
Wellbeing
22. Increase sick and domestic leave from 10 to 15 days per annum.
23. Provision of medical and dental care for members and/or subsidisation of health insurance.
Professional development and recognition
24. Amend the Healthcare Assistant professional development clause to incorporate elements of the ‘Earn and learn’ programme including:
a. Access to level four NZQA qualifications
b. HCA trainers as coaches and assessors
c. Nurse Educators to deliver some of the programme teaching and overseeing the content being delivered by HCA trainers.
d. Provision of literacy and numeracy support as required
e. Additional support as required to reduce barriers or inequalities to help students complete the qualification.
f. Two study days per month while working towards NZQA qualifications
g. The programme be open to existing staff
h. All new HCA employees will be enrolled in the professional development programme
25. NZNO and Te Whatu Ora develop the unit standards making up the L4 qualification
26. Add new pay scale for HCA trainer role.
27. Move the HCA Merit clause from cl 8.0.3 to cl. 28.3
28. Change merit criteria to attainment of NZQA qualifications Health and Wellbeing level 3 and 4, with grand parenting for current merit holders.
29. Specified professional development funding for nurses and designated senior nurses.
30. An increase to the nurse practitioner professional development allowance, to $6,000 per annum, which can accumulate for three years.
31. Introduction of a payment for members holding post graduate qualifications.
32. Review the PDRP system, considering the following elements:
a. Extension of PDRP payments for those on the designated senior scale.
b. National consistency
c. The relationship between PDRP a post graduate qualification allowance.
Shift coordination allowance
33. Amend the clause to clarify when the shift coordination clause will apply.
Nurse prescribing allowance
34. Introduce an allowance for nurse prescribers.
On-call
35. Review clause to limit the maximum on-call time
General
36. Extend clause 8 (1)(e) to other roles.
37. Insert the He Ara Tapa Tahi and Kahui Kokiri terms of reference into the collective agreement.
38. Update the designated senior pay scale review agreement – for the avoidance of doubt, specify the inclusion of Midwifery roles and that the selection of the job evaluation tool is by agreement
39. A member only payment in recognition of the benefits of the collective agreement and arising out of the relationship on which a collective agreement is based.
Bargaining fee
40. Include a bargaining fee within the collective agreement.