On the picket line outside Hillmorton Hospital in Christchurch, Karyn, who works in an acute psychiatric care unit, said the key issue for her was the "lack of value" management had for the staff. "Senior staff are burnt out because there are so few of them. It is hard as a new staff nurse knowing that senior staff don't have time for mentoring you into the job," she said.

Another nurse said that because of staff retention problems "graduate nurses are taking on responsibilities usually attributed to senior staff." The debt many nurses have when they graduate from school forces them to look for higher paying positions overseas. "The average age of nurses in New Zealand today is 47 and getting higher--that is not sustainable," he stated.

"Nursing is a commodity that is in demand around the world, it is no surprise that after two or three years nurses are going overseas," said Luke Gregory, who has 14 years experience. The unions are demanding a 6.5 percent pay raise over two years, and pay parity, annual leave, allowance increases, and career progression provisions.

The 1,100 striking health workers were to be joined by another 2,000 nurses from Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch Women's, Burwood, Ashburton, and other rural hospitals in the region. The nurses are demanding a 13 percent pay increase. Their strike action was averted when the New Zealand Nurses Organisation agreed to put an offer from the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) to a membership vote. The nurses rejected the offer at meetings on November 14.

The combined unions and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation have announced a 48-hour strike of 3,000 health workers December 2–3. Speaking to the Press before the vote was taken, Betty Pearson, Sue Fawcett, and Clare Johnston, who work in the Christchurch Hospital acute cardio ward, explained that the offer from the Canterbury District Health Board is not good enough.

Pearson said the average age of a nurse at Christchurch Hospital was 42. "If they don't give us a pay increase there will be no nurses left in 10 years. Nurses have all cracked. Sometimes we can't do any more," she said. Chief executive of CDHB Jean O'Callaghan said that the board recognized there were serious staffing issues that needed to be addressed but the government had made it clear there was no more money available for health this year. Health Minister Annette King is refusing to comment.

Annalucia Vermunt is a member of the Meat Workers Union in Christchurch.  
 
 
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