Ballot for MECA underway.

Voting on whether to negotiate a primary health care (PHC) multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) gets underway this month. Claims were being developed as Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand went to press. The ballot papers, asking PHC members if they were in favour of bargaining for the MECA, were sent out this month, with July 29 the deadline for the return of ballots to NZNO. The ballot papers also asked PHC members whether they supported the claim principles. These are:

Pay Parity: For occupations covered by, or similar to, those in the district health board (DHB) MECA (registered nurses, senior and specialised nurses, midwives, enrolled nurses, health care assistants) this means the pay rates contained in the DHB MECA. For other occupations it will be based on relativities with other DHB workers and recognise comparable skill, effort and responsibility.

Term: The MECA would run from December 1, 2005 for an agreed term. The aim would be to fully implement the DHB pay rates by the end of the DHB agreement in December 2006.

Core Conditions: This part of the claim would see standard core conditions, eg leave clauses, overtime, hours of work and allowances on the basis of parity with the DHBs.

Penal Rates: The claim for shift, penal, after hours, on-call and public holiday payments will be based on parity with the DHBs.

Education/Professional Development: Financial assistance and paid leave will be claimed.

Merit Payments: Payments will be claimed to recognise skill/additional responsibility.

Current Entitlements: NZNO will claim protection of any current core conditions better than the proposed new MECA. Where pay is already above the new MECA, NZNO will claim one-off payments so all members benefit from being in the MECA.

NZNO organisers finished the huge task of visiting 1100 primary health care workplaces throughout the country earlier this month. Palmerston North-based organiser Jane Swift, who visited more than 50 general practices, emergency clinics and iwi providers, said nurses had "overwhelmingly endorsed" the PHC MECA. She thanked PHC nurses for making time in their hectic schedules to attend the meetings and other members for their patience. She urged members to wear lapel stickers and use bumper stickers to enhance the visibility of the pay parity for primary care campaign--"we need that visibility".