Dunedin.

IT'S BEEN great to meet so many delegates during the last month. The amount of work you do in your workplaces is fantastic and it's good to know NZNO is alive and well. I intend to have regular meetings for all my larger work sites in the second half of the year. Thanks to you all for giving me time to settle in and get plans organised.

We are pleased to have the collective agreement for Southland District Health Board senior and advisory staff signed off. This is a great joint agreement between NZNO and the Public Service Association. An NZNO working party was to begin early this month to flesh out the broad salary band for senior nursing staff into more workable and transparent steps. We intend to have the work finished in early May--just in time to renegotiate.

I am concerned that some in management seem to either disregard or not know about the consultation clause in the South Island Multi-Employment Collective Agreement (MECA). If you are approached to take part in review teams or management informs you your job may be changing, then I urge you contact a delegate, who may be able to find out what's happening and let NZNO know. There are very clear procedures to be followed and NZNO must be formally notified.

Preparations for the South Island MECA negotiations are underway. Keep your eyes and ears open for stopwork meetings that will be held prior to these. Your input is vital if NZNO is to remain member driven. Don't forget you have good delegates. Ask them what's happening.

It's been good to have some contact with the Family Planning Association staff as renegotiation of their agreement looms.

The delegates convention for the southern region was a great day. It's a shame there wasn't enough time to talk to more of you. NZNO's remuneration strategy is something we all need to alk about and I'm looking forward to talking through the issues with Southland Hospital's workplace committee at our next meeting.

We had a fabulous caregivers' study day organised by the national gerontology section last week. There were approximately 80 participants and the quality of the speakers was outstanding. Professor of gerontology nursing at Sheffield University in England, Mike Nolan, was inspirational.

Carolyn Payne-Harker

CHANGES TO staffing at the Dunedin office this year have meant my organising work is now very clearly focused on the private sector in Dunedin and Maniototo. It has been a slower start than usual as Glenda Alexander and I have been establishing the new industrial adviser position. But I was hoping to have contacted all my workplace delegates and have a plan of meetings for the year by the end of March.

A couple of key events have been and gone already--caregivers week saw a seminar in Dunedin attract over 80 caregivers from around the region and our regional delegates convention was attended by 50 NZNO delegates. Both seminars were very successful and demonstrated the high level of enthusiasm and energy NZNO members bring to the organisation.

More disciplinary issues than normal have occurred during the first three months of this year in the aged-care sector. What it has emphasised, is the importance of members contacting their delegate or organiser for support in the investigation phase of an incident. The earlier we are involved the better and it sometimes can avert disciplinary action. NZNO involvement can make a difference.