Tired and stressed MIQ nurses fear there will be another Covid-19 community outbreak if staffing numbers aren't boosted at facilities across the country.
Lynn Grieveson/Newsroom via Getty Images
Staff at managed isolation and quarantine facilities (MIQs) will be among the first to get the Covid-19 vaccine. (File photo) That’s about 12,000 workers, a Ministry of Health spokesperson said. The people they live with will also be vaccinated. Once vaccination of this group starts, it s expected to be completed within two to three weeks. “Vaccinating our frontline staff will provide a critical additional line of defence to keep them well and help prevent Covid-19 entering the community,” the spokesperson said. “It’s an extra layer to help protect New Zealanders and our economy against future outbreaks.”
+Undoctored
Media release from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation
Wednesday 3 February 2021, 04:04 PM
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says around 100 of its members working for the Family Planning Association (FPA) as nurses, medical receptionists/administrators and health promoters have voted to strike from 7.00am on 16 February to 7.00am on 17 February 2021.
The strike notice was issued this week after members rejected the latest offer in collective agreement negotiations, because it failed to fully address longstanding wage inequity and did not provide a tangible process to achieve this.
NZNO Lead Advocate Chris Wilson says FPA staff are simply asking for their expertise to be recognised by giving them equitable pay.