Mon, 30 Nov 2009 5:34p.m.
Care workers at Presbyterian Support Central (PSC) have given notice of strike action, claiming the not-for-profit organisation is holding back funding increases.
The Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) and New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) say staff at 15 elderly care and hospital facilities are being undervalued and will walk off the job between December 6 and 11.
"Our members play an important role in our communities, caring for our elderly and they deserve to be paid a fair wage for that. Unfortunately many of them earn as little as $12.97 and hour," NZNO industrial adviser Rob Haultain said.
He said PSC had received a large taxpayer funded increase from July 1 but had only passed some of this on to workers.
PSC chief executive Chris Graham said he was unsure how negotiations had reached this point.
He said the organisation was funded primarily through contracts with district health boards (DHBs) and had received a 4.6 percent increase.
"We are passing all this on. And we're doing it in a variety of ways, in the sense that not everyone is getting (that amount). We've got issues retaining registered nurses when we have to compete with DHB rates. So there's a staggered increase reflecting the fact that some people have got greater training.
"But the big message here is that we are passing everything through to our workers and we have always done this.
"We are a not-for-profit. We're not a corporate, we don't pay out any dividends and everything we get we put back into the business."
Mr Haultain said there was a final mediation session to be held tomorrow, and if that was not successful the strikes would go ahead.
"Our members do not take industrial action lightly as their first thought is always about the welfare of the residents," he said.
Mr Graham said it was not clear how many were likely to walk off the job - the unions said 700 staff were members - but plans were in place to cope.
"What are we to do? Sit back and let the sites remain unstaffed?
"We will have a number of volunteers, we have people from in (the office) who will be out cooking meals, cleaning, doing a whole range of things just to keep the joints going.
"We've got no option. We can't leave (residents) by themselves, so to say that (the unions) are concerned about health and safety risk is a bit rich."
NZPA