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Welcome to the NZNO Pay Equity page. Here you will find information related to the proposed Nursing Pay Equity settlement released on Friday 8 April 2022 to all DHB employees covered by the Nursing Pay Equity claim, including DHB employees who do not belong to a union.

After taking legal advice, NZNO will not proceed with ratifying the proposed Nursing Pay Equity settlement without a clear mandate from members. The ratification vote, due to commence on 20 April has therefore been cancelled. Instead, members have been invited to tell us which of the following two options they prefer:

  1. That we take the full matter immediately to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) to decide on our claim for full backdating. This is called a determination. It’s important to note that the full proposal, including the base rates, will be determined by the Authority. The timing for that determination will be entirely in the ERA’s hands. Or;

  2. That we proceed to ratification following agreement on the full detailed proposal that will go to members for ratification. The full proposal must cover the issues raised by members which include back pay, senior nurse relativities and the review process. There is only a draft proposal at this stage, which we are challenging. 

    In this case, as is usual for ratifications, NZNO and PSA DHB nursing members and non-union employees covered by the proposed Pay Equity Settlement will poll yes or no on approving the proposal. If the poll is ‘no’ then we will refer the matter to the ERA for a determination (for a decision on who is right, note the comments above). If the poll is a ‘yes’ then the full proposal is implemented as is. Note again that this will cover the “full” proposal as above.

​Additional Information about Option 2

Option 2 changed as a consequence of further legal advice.

A member voting for Option 2 means they want us to obtain a full detailed proposal which will then be taken to members to ratify. At the moment the proposal is only a draft because at the time it was released it had not been fully signed off by all the steps in the employer/government process. Also, it does not address the backpay issue that our legal advice says should be challenged in relation to compliance with the Equal Pay Amendment Act. Therefore, if members want a ratification process to occur we will first have to get the proposal finalised before taking it to ratification, (whereas under Option 1 we go straight to the ERA).

Note: if the ratification process in Option 2 does not occur (i.e. members reject the proposed settlement) the outcome will be taken to the ERA for determination. Option 2 allows us to get the employers to address the issues that have been raised by members. They may not agree to do this, but they will have to confirm the full details of the settlement so that it can be put in front of members to vote on.

Important: Polling information was sent to email addresses provided by the DHBs over the weekend, from 30 April to 2 May. If you haven't received your polling information by the evening of Monday 2 May please email vote@nzno.org.nz. If you're a PSA member please email DHBNursingPayequity@psa.org.nz. All other employees should contact their DHB. 

 

Find out more by reading our Pay Equity Updates.

View meeting schedule for NZNO DHB members and non-union DHB employees.

View our 20 April message to senior nurses.

In case you missed it, click the left image to view an Ask and Answer session where Chief Executive Paul Goulter, DHB Industrial Advisor David Wait, and Campaigns Advisor Katy Watabe answer questions about the Pay Equity offer, including more information on going to the Employment Relations Authority.

Download the proposed Nursing Pay Equity settlement.

We hope the resources we provide below are helpful. If you need more information, please check our Frequently Asked Questions.

You can also email specific questions to vote@nzno.org.nz. However, please first review all the available information on this page or ask your question at one of our online webinars before emailing. We expect a high volume of inquiries so you may not receive a quick reply.   

PSA members should email questions to DHBNursingPayequity@psa.org.nz.

Update 10 June - Peter Cranney Zoom session

Watch NZNO's Pay Equity lawyer Peter Cranney explain the ERA filing process here.

Helpful documents

More information can be found on our Nursing Pay Equity partners' websites

Explanatory videos

NZNO Industrial Services Manager Glenda Alexander talks through our PowerPoint presentation explaining the proposed Nursing Pay Equity settlement. You can download the PowerPoint presentation above.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and President Anne Daniels talk about the proposed Nursing Pay Equity settlement; how it will help address the nursing shortage; and how DHB Pay Equity pay rates must now be extended to all nurses in Aotearoa regardless of where they practise.
Nurse Practitioner and NZNO member Mark Baldwin was part of the Nursing Pay Equity negotiation team. He talks through the process of how comparators were found and assessed, and how the proposed settlement agreement was reached.
Registered nurse and NZNO member Julie Pritchard was part of the Nursing Pay Equity negotiation team. She talks briefly about what the Proposed Nursing Pay Equity Settlement will mean for nursing in Aotearoa New Zealand.

 

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