Thousands of NZNO members at Te Whatu Ora signed the open letter about delayed payments to Te Whatu Ora employees.

This was presented to Margie Apa on Thursday 28 September. Watch a short video that was posted on the NZNO Facebook page of Wellington nurses Julie, Richard and Mae before they went in to meet with Margie Apa.

 

Pay us what we are owed! Open letter to Margie Apa, Chief Executive Te Whatu Ora

Tēnā koe Margie, 

I am a Te Whatu Ora employee once again feeling disrespected and let down by my employer. 

In July this year those of us covered by the Nursing Pay Equity claim ratified the settlement, which included a legally binding commitment from Te Whatu Ora to implement the new pay rates within six weeks of the settlement date. 

This date has now past with some employees still waiting for the new rates that were promised to us by your team and are owed to us.

Our union has been working to try and get information about these delays and about implementation dates for the rates in the collective agreement, this is the response so far:

• Two districts, Bay of Plenty and Lakes, are not expecting to meet the agreed timeline for pay equity back pay and lump sum payments.
• Only eight out of twenty Districts have even provided information about expected timeframes for implementing the agreed rates of pay in the collective agreement.
• Four Districts are not intending to pay collective agreement lump sums and back pay until 2024, with Taranaki apparently not intending to make those payments until December 2024. This is two months after the collective agreement will have expired and sixteen months after the agreement was ratified!

We know that those working in payroll are doing their very best under difficult circumstances. But we can’t understand how Te Whatu Ora seems to think it is ok to fail to meet their obligations to us.

I am calling on you, as Chief Executive of Te Whatu Ora and my employer, to take action to ensure the following:

• Honour the commitments to pay equity back pay and lump sums by November this year.
• Ensure the timely implementation and payment of lump sums and back pay associated with the collective agreement in all Districts.

Signed