Bargaining for a national MECA: half or more NZNO members must have voted 'yes' in this month's national ballot if national bargaining is to take place this year. A clear process has been established to begin these negotiations.

BY THE time members receive this issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, most NZNO members in the country's 21 district health boards (DHBs) would have been balloted on whether NZNO should initiate bargaining for a 21-DHB national multi-employer collective agreement (MECA).

The NZNO delegates' committees in all DHBs endorsed a national MECA last month, and tile proposed bargaining process and goals. The decision whether or not to initiate national MECA negotiations rests with NZNO members in each DHB.

Why are NZNO delegates recommending a national MECA?

1) The timing is right--industrially and politically

Negotiations in 2003 and 2004 in the Northern Districts, Lower North Island and South Island (including Canterbury) achieved two important goals. The agreements will close or nearly close the base pay gap between regions over their full term. They all have early expiry clauses that allow national bargaining to be initiated before the Auckland MECA expires on June 30 this year.

These two factors mean NZNO members are in a better position to seek a substantial and fair pay rise than at any time in the last 13 years. Add to that a Government that supports pay equity and has a budget surplus that can pay for it. There couldn't be a better time to close the value gap for nurses, midwives and health care assistants in the public sector.

2) National negotiations will maximise our collective strength to achieve a goal no DHB or region can achieve alone.

All these things strengthen our position, but closing the deal will take real organisation and commitment, and may require industrial action.

National bargaining will mean national unity of purpose and the ability to take effective protest action in support of our claims. It means all our people and re sources, including our media and communications work, can focus on one process and one goal, rather than be spread across five sets of negotiations.

The main focus of these negotiations will be the fair pay goal. We know from our research that fair pay equals substantially more than any single DHB or region is funded to pay NZNO members. Even those on today's highest base rates stand to gain much more from fair pay than the $900 or so a year that the current two percent limit on DHB wage increases provides for. However, we will only win by convincing the Government to fired DHBs for the settlement--ie a national battle, not a local one.

3) We're worth It!

We are recommending national bargaining because we know the gap we want closed in this year's pay round is bigger than the funding any individual DHB now gets to pay nurses. If members voted "yes" to national bargaining during the national ballot May 10-21, then claims will be developed and endorsed by members, which aim to achieve fair pay and safe staffing.

What is Fair Pay? Fair Pay:

* is pay comparable to other professions and occupations, especially in the state sector, where there is comparable skill, effort and responsibility. It is pay comparable to nurses and midwives in countries which have made an effort to tackle the historical undervaluing of these jobs.

* recognises differences in working conditions, including, for example, shift work.

* is about all aspects of pay and conditions, including such things as superannuation and leave.

Fair pay is not just base pay--it is all pay and conditions, including all forms of leave, levels of practice, clinical career pathway or professional development recognition and performance (PDRP) payments, superannuation, penal and shift payments, overtime pay and other allowances.

Safe staffing:

* is mandated minimum nurse/midwife-patient ratios.

* is a nursing infrastructure to support safe practice.

* is time tbr professional development and review.

A process for addressing regional or local issues will be developed within the claims process. The detailed claims will be developed with and endorsed by members before they are tabled.

NZNO believes the Government has enough money to meet the whole claim this year. However, there may be some areas where practical work is needed to bring about consistency between DHBs (eg, making a variety of PDRP programmes consistent).

The negotiating team: Two groups of people will be directly involved in the negotiations--those at the bargaining table and those working closely with then] from each DHB. The group at the bargaining table will comprise:

* 14 NZNO delegates--three from each of the main MECAs and two from the Canterbury DHB collective agreement. These will be elected by delegates from the delegate support teams (see back-up teams below) and, as well as registered nurses (RNs), will include at least two senior nurses/ midwives, enrolled nurse (EN) and health care assistant/hospital aide representation.

* five NZNO staff--one advocate from each MECA and the Canterbury DIIB agreement. I will co-ordinate this group. Lead advocates will be appointed from this group.

Back-up team members: Backing-up the negotiating team will be the remaining delegates of the six elected from each DHB, making a national negotiating support team of 126. Each DHB workplace committee will elect the delegates on the backup team. Of the six delegates from each DHB, there should be up to three RNs, a senior nurse/midwife, and two or three (depending on the number of staff RNs) from among midwives, ENs and health care assistants/hospital aides.

One delegate from each DHB will be part of a "rapid response group", if urgent decisions are required that can't go back to the full 126 for discussion.

Back-up team--NZNO staff: This consists of all other NZNO organisers with DHB responsibilities and key national staff, including organising services manager Laila Harre, communications adviser Lyndy McIntyre and administrative support staff.