Join us in finding a solution, not a fight

District Health Boards have asked the PSA to join them in an application to the Employment Relations Authority for facilitation to help settle pay talks with a 10,000 strong group of health workers.

It’s disappointing Allied, Public Health, Scientific and Technical staff are planning for strikes, when DHBs have offered a way to avoid them.

Facilitation will allow an independent third party with knowledge of the sector to help reach an agreement without disrupting patients, families and whanau, especially when we’re facing an outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

We acknowledge the challenges in the health system and the pressure it puts on our people and to say we don’t value our workforce is simply not true and not consistent with our approach to these talks.

We made an offer consistent with other DHB pay settlements to Psychologists, Lab Scientists, Anaesthetic Technicians, Pharmacists and Dietitians. We also made it clear there are more ways to address common concerns about the lowest paid, including increases greater than the union is claiming.

It’s disappointing the PSA has rejected the offer and wants to pick up parts of the Nurses interim pay equity settlement and apply it to this group.

The PSA has been a pay equity leader in the health sector – it understands the specialist nature and complexity of that work so it’s doubly disappointing the PSA is conflating the two in this case.

Pay Equity is a standalone process with its own legislation specifically designed to address issues of historic undervaluation. There is a Pay Equity claim underway for the Allied Health workforce which also involves the Government, Ministry of Health and other unions – none of whom are part of these pay talks.

The sooner we can settle these pay talks, the sooner we can focus on their pay equity claim which is the proper place to assess and address the wider complex question of equity.

Before disrupting their colleagues and patients through strike action, DHBs urge them to join the approach to the Employment Relations Authority to help get an agreement.