Horowhenua StarHealthcare workers in Levin joined in nationwide strike action this week, leaving just skeleton staff rostered on to deal with urgent appointments and to cover an emergency.
NZ Nurses Organisation delegates Leanne Larmer and Rachel James were joined by 20 other Te Whatu Ora health workers outside Horowhenua Health Centre in Liverpool Street on Tuesday, with another protest held yesterday at Levin Adventure Park. Both strikes were held between 7am and 11pm.
NZNO union delegates Leanne Larmer, left, and Rachel James (with speaker) joined local healthcare workers in nationwide strike action this week. Photo Paul Williams
They have joined 36,000 health care assistants, midwives and nurses striking this week, concerned about pay rates, staffing numbers and other resourcing.
The strikes come after almost a year of negotiations between their union and Health NZ, and follows 24 hours of strike action staged in July.
Leanne says healthcare workers’ concerns are many.
“Qualified nurses are leaving New Zealand for Australia because there are no jobs, yet we are chronically short staffed,” she says.
“Better staffing-to-patient ratio leads to better health outcomes. At the moment patients aren’t receiving the care that they need.
“This is certainly not just about pay.”
Rachel says front-line staff often bear the brunt of patient frustration and angst, and emergency departments are overrun with people waiting days to be seen.
“The majority are nice but there have been increasing incidents of violence,” she says.
The two-day strike has resulted in an estimated 14,000 patients nationwide having their operations or appointments postponed.
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