Hospice negotiations begin this month.

Negotiations for a national hospice multi-employer collective agreement (MECA), building on the core document negotiated last year, are scheduled to begin later this month. The current agreement, covering 15 hospices, expired on July 31.

A pre-negotiation meeting was held early this month, with NZNO promoting the issues/interests-based bargaining used successfully in the national NZNO/district health board (DHB) MECA negotiations. The meeting, attended by industrial adviser Glenda Alexander and organisers Mike Yeats and Mark Lennox, confirmed a bargaining process agreement and agreed on a timeframe for negotiations.

NZNO's claims principles were endorsed at member meetings around the country in June. The principles are: pay parity with DHB nurses; an appropriate term; employment equity; superannuation; extended coverage; updating and standardising clauses; and progression of a professional development and recognition programme.

NZNO's negotiating team is: Lennox, who was co-advocate in the last negotiations; Yeats; registered nurse (RN) and palliative care coordinator at Palmerston North's Arohanui Hospice, Stephanie Ash; health care assistant at Hospice Wanganui, Roberta Jones; RN at North Shore Hospice, Mary Roberts; enrolled nurse and quality improvement and education coordinator at Hospice Southland, Kirsty Robertson; and RN and palliative care coordinator at Cranford Hospice, Faith Tough. The seven-strong hospice negotiating team wilt be led by the chief executive of Hospice Taranaki, Kevin Nielson.