Big vote in favour of National MECA.

Nurses and midwives have overwhelmingly endorsed the second NZNO/district health board (DHB) multi-employer collective agreement (MECA). Of those who voted, 95 percent were in favour of the deal, reached through issues-based bargaining. "I'm delighted with this outcome, which is a vindication of our approach, and also because of other very difficult negotiations in the health sector," NZNO lead advocate Glenda Alexander said. On a DHB-by-DHB basis, more members voted in favour of this settlement than the inaugural "fair pay" MECA.

This MECA delivers pay increases of around 12 percent on base pay over its three-year term, establishes a joint action group to tackle important issues such as staffing and work life balance innovations, improves a number of leave conditions and further standardises terms and conditions. (See p34 for more details.)

Close to 200 ratification meetings were held throughout the 21 DHBs Last month. Alexander said NZNO could improve the scheduling of ratification meetings to maximise attendance, eg by spreading meetings over a number of days, rather than a number of back-to-back meetings on one day.

Negotiations began in earnest in February, hit a snag in May, when NZNO postponed scheduled negotiations because of a lack of progress and joint understanding of the process. A facilitator, provided by the Department of Labour's Partnership Resource Centre, had been called in and had been very useful, Alexander said.

Alexander and the DHBs' lead advocate Nigel Murray had both attended a workshop on issues-based bargaining and this had provided a valuable framework within which to conduct the negotiations, she said.

The emphatic result proved members believed the settlement met NZNO's fair play principles. Some members had questioned whether anything had been conceded to get the deal. "We lost nothing to get what we got," Alexander said.

She reminded members that in using the police and teachers as "benchmark comparators" in the inaugural MECA campaign, the benchmark was the base rate pay of a fifth-year, experienced employee in both professions. "I'm confident we have maintained that parity."

Alexander believes the most significant gains in this MECA are a joint implementation plan and an agreed process to resolve issues about consistent national application. "These, along with pay increases and significant improvements to leave and service conditions are what members have wanted addressed for some time."

DHB chief executives were expected to ratify the settlement early this month.