Cover - Caregivers Week blackboard at Cashmere View home in Christchurch
fair share news
N e w s F o r N Z N O an d E t ū m e m b e r s W o r k i n g In A g e d C a r e
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Caregivers Week 2016 Around the country, union members celebrated Caregivers Week at their workplaces from the 21st of March. Caregivers Week was set up by union members working in aged care to recognise the value carers bring to the whole nursing team. This edition we’ve included some of the photos and articles from the celebrations - we hope you enjoy them and feel inspired!
Also in this edition: ͙͙ Union wins ͙͙ Employers still paying minimum wage ͙͙ Ranfurly bargaining update ͙͙ Next steps for equal pay ͙͙ Health of Older People Strategy update
Postcard from Nelson Marlborough DHB CE for Caregivers Week.
Celebrating carers around the country Auckland
Below - Mele Maka, formerly RN delegate of Ranfurly Village Hospital.
By NZNO organiser Anna Majavu In Auckland, we celebrated Caregivers Week with a party for all healthcare assistants and aged care workers in the city’s many aged care facilities. The spotlight was on the current negotiations between the unions and government for equal pay, with members eager to know what progress was being made. Speakers emphasised that while the negotiations continued, it was very important for all members to recruit nonmembers, since those who didn’t join the union would ultimately undercut any wins that union members had. Keynote speaker, NZNO delegate Mele Maka (RN) spoke of the deep love caregivers have for their work, which allows them to continue caring for their patients, even though they may often be physically and verbally abused. A veteran of work dementia units, Maka urged the caregivers present to continue to show compassion for their patients. She lauded the healthcare assistants saying that HCAs were hands on and were often the first ones to notice very important changes to patients’ health. Green Party MP Denise Roche, who worked in the aged care sector for four years, said the work caregivers did was frequently invisible. “You can see that it is invisible in your pay rates which is another reason why the equal pay rate is so important”, said Roche, adding that the National Government had underfunded the health sector by about a billion dollars a year. This had shown in declining services and on the wages of caregivers and others. She said that those in the audience were the real heroes who put up the fight, and who were making a huge difference for everyone else with their struggle for equal pay. Labour MP Phil Goff said some chief executives of retirement homes were paid $800 000 per year. “How does anybody deserve that much money? When I hear people at the top saying we can’t afford to give people at the bottom a decent wage, then they should live by their own reckoning. If they can afford to give themselves big money, they can afford to give you a decent wage to recognise the work that you have done” said Goff. Goff also said the higher costs of living facing Auckland caregivers needed to be recognised. “Encourage your workmates to come together. Together you are strong, by yourself they can defeat you” he added.
Post script - We are very sad to say that shortly after this article was written, Mele was made redundant from her job at Ranfurly Village Hospital in the Bob Reed Dementia Unit, which closed in March. There were no other suitable options at Ranfurly Village Hospital for her, and we miss her presence as an NZNO delegate.
Right- Green MP Denise Roche, Mary Ratubuli of Aranui Rest Home and Ellerslie Gardens delegate Shaireen Bi.
Above- Aged Care National Delegate Veniana Rabo. with members Lepeti Iaseto and Valelia Ioane
Above - NZNO member Rohini Sami, organiser Fuaao Seve and member Ramaprabha Chakrapani
Above - caregivers celebrate with Phil Goff MP, and at right, enjoy kai together with NZNO staff.
Wellington NZNO invited all the parties with Wellingtonbased MPs to send an MP along to an aged care facility, and spend a couple of hours ‘trading places’ with a caregiver. Then, we sent two caregiver delegates back to parliament to see what the MPs got up to. The Green Party’s Jan Logie (pictured at right) visited Cashmere home in Johnsonville, where she spent a couple of hours helping out with the lunch service and talking with carers. She was surprised by how physical the work was, and said it was clear that the residents completely depend on the carers for their quality of life. Next, we sent delegates Dilani and Janine to parliament to meet with the parties who had agreed to the swap. They spoke to Kris Faafoi, David Clark and Jenny Salesi from Labour, and then Catherine Delahunty, Julie Anne Genter and Jan again from the Greens. Kris revealed that he had worked as a carer before coming to parliament so had hands-on experience of the job. David and Jenny talked about pay rates, the lack of professional development, and culturally appropriate care. At the Greens, the carers shared some lunch and looked over the jam-packed schedule of being an MP. MPs rarely get to spend time with their families, and this means they sometimes need help back at home. Catherine spoke of her very personal experience having carers help ease the final days of her mother’s life - no one is too ‘important’ to need the help of caregivers. After meeting with the MPs, Janine and Dilani went to Question Time where the MPs yell at each other in the House. When they left parliament they felt like they had been listened to by the MPs and taken seriously, but would still rather be carers! You can read all about the trading places swap and watch a video interview of Jan and Dilani at these links: www.nznoblog.org.nz/2016/03/21/trading-places-part-i/ www.nznoblog.org.nz/2016/03/23/trading-places-part-ii/ www.nznoblog.org.nz/2016/03/31/trading-places-part-iii/
Wairoa We had to include this lovely photo (at right) of Kristy Gomez at the Caregivers Week event in Glengarry Wairoa. We couldn’t fit in photos of every regional event but we hope there were lots of smiles this big!
At left- NZNO caregiver delegates Dilani and Janine about to enter parliament.
Christchurch By NZNO delegate Carolyn Maslin At Cashmere View in Christchurch, we celebrated over the whole week. In the main hallway we put up a noticeboard for staff, residents and their families who chose to express their appreciation and acknowledgement to all the caregivers. You can read their messages on the front cover! We also had icecream sundaes with all the trimmings for all shifts to thank the caregivers. We all got together at a morning tea, with Helen Kissell NZNO organiser, Ruth Dyson Labour MP and our managers. The managers did a speech for the caregivers, and it was great to hear what they had to say and have the opportunity to chat with them afterwards as well. All the staff said it was a wonderful week and all felt appreciated and to actually see what was written on the noticeboard was amazing.
Ruth Dyson MP, centre, with Cashmere View staff for Caregivers Week celebrations.
Bargaining update - Ranfurly Village Hospital Ltd CA Negotiations 2015/16 NZNO had been in collective agreement negotiations with Ranfurly Village Hospital Ltd since last year, and finally settled an improved collective agreement in mid March. This included backdating of pay increases to 1 July 2015. The term of the agreement was only for 1 year, to take into account any outcome of the equal pay court case. The NZNO negotiation team, Christine Gallagher (Advocate/Organiser) Margaret Cain (Professional Nursing Advisor) wishes to acknowledge and thank the negotiation team delegates Violeti Sili (HCA) and Mele Maka (RN) for their valuable insights, knowledge and patience which was needed at times during the negotiations. As in the story on Auckland Caregivers Week, we are sad Mele is no longer with Ranfurly. We wish her all the best and will miss her next bargaining round.
Oceania change proposals
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In January this year, proposals for change were initiated at 2 Oceania sites in Christchurch and Rangiora– Palm Grove and Holmwood. The proposals included the removal of all Enrolled Nurse (EN) positions, which would have made 7 staff redundant. They also proposed shortening a number of HCA and caregiver shifts and, at Holmwood, moving from their current rostering system to a 4:2 roster (either four days on, two days off or two days on four days off).
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ENs are a valuable part of the healthcare team and are important for the quality care and wellbeing of patients and residents. In aged care they are an integral part of the whole nursing and caregiver team. All the changes were opposed by members, and NZNO worked with them individually and collectively to raise issues around the process and the proposed outcome. Particularly concerning was that rostered hours for RNs and ENs would have been below Oceania’s ideal rostering numbers by a staggering 93 hours per week. NZNO raised 2 formal employment relationship problems in relation to the changes and both were resolved. Oceania cancelled the proposals and all the EN positions remain. Members on these sites should be proud that they stood up and fought for their jobs, conditions of work, and quality care. When we demonstrate our success like this, union members should ask their colleagues to join and stand with them. The more members we have, the stronger we are, and the louder our voices.
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Bupa staffing escalation plan
Thanks to the last round of collective barganing and positive engagement from Bupa, their staff can now rely on a step by step escalation plan in case of staffing shortage. The plan takes into account skill mix, resident acuity, and if any admissions or discharges are expected. Bupa will approach other staff and casuals if there is a recognised shift shortage. Overtime can also be paid to staff already rostered once approved by the “person in charge”, in consultation with the Care Home Manager. If the shift shortage is unable to be filled, it is recognised that not all duties will necessarily be able to be completed during that shift. The Care Home Manager or person in charge must make sure that essential tasks are identified, prioritised and undertaken at the correct time by the correct person. If staff feel unsafe when there is a staff shortage, they should fill out incident forms. These forms must be investigated by managers, and appropriate action must be taken. Staff completing the incident forms should expect to receive feedback on any action taken, or why this wasn’t necessary. All staff should have access to the escalation plan and incident forms. Union delegates and health and safety representatives can support members to follow up on any incident forms, and if you need any help getting the system underway. We look forward to safer working environments for all patients and staff, thanks to your bargaining team!
To join NZNO:
www.nzno.org.nz/membership/join_now 0800 28 38 48
Union win!
Heritage Lifecare Ltd staff celebrate union expansion
The staff at the recently acquired Puriri Court Rest Home and Hospital, in Whāngārei, are celebrating the fact that the new owners, Heritage Lifecare Limited, have signed a collective agreement based on the document already in place at this site. This meant that the celebrations for Caregivers week was all the more sweet. As a result of the sale last December and the negotiations with the new owners NZNO has doubled the membership numbers on site and have gained 2 new delegates bringing the total to 3. We look forward to welcoming even more members into our team.
Employers still paying minimum wage
At the Summerset AGM - Maree Harrison, Maria Qelo, Kristine Bartlett, and Lyn Tomlinson.
When it comes to pay there’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that thousands of carers got a pay rise in April. The bad news is this is because they were being paid less than the new minimum wage! The legal minimum hourly wage increased from $14.75 to $15.25, which meant the bottom steps of employment agreements for these carers were wiped out. Bupa, Summerset, Radius Residential Care and Oceania were some of the big employers who were forced to raise the bottom rates. For care and support staff it was a timely reminder that wages in the sector are far too low. What was different this year was the way the companies reacted. In 2015 BUPA and Oceania worked closely with NZNO and E tū, lifting wages above the minimum legal rate. This time, all these employers chose to pay the minimum rate. E tū Summerset delegates decided that wasn’t good enough and raised the issue at the company’s annual meeting in front of shareholders and the media. Summerset made $37.8 million profit this year – up 55% on the previous year. Delegates told the meeting it was shameful that one in four Summerset workers are on the minimum wage, and their message had the board sitting up. Watch this space for updates.
To join E tū www. etu.nz 0800 1 UNION (0800 186 466)
Next steps for equal pay The talks to settle Kristine Bartlett’s equal pay case and the claims filed for union members are continuing. The Government has put some wage offers on the table, but nothing like the $26.00 an hour rate we claimed in Kristine’s case. We remain committed to these negotiations, but are considering all the options. The equal pay ‘principles’ talks on how to make the law work in practice are moving much faster, and we expect a positive announcement from the Government, employers and the Council of Trade Unions very soon. The unions are happy with how the principles talks are going. We believe they will set out a better pathway for equal pay claims for many more groups of workers. Other groups are now following in Kristine’s footsteps. School support staff, cleaners, kitchen and laundry workers who are union members will soon be invited to look at how we build on Kristine’s case. In the U.K. kitchen workers in schools known as “dinner ladies” won the first equal pay case, including a cook winning the same pay as skilled shipbuilders. “While carers are at the front of the line there’s space for other workers” says Kristine Bartlett (pictured). “Come on in, and tell your MPs we’re sick of waiting.” Union members wondering what they can do to help the equal pay case can make sure they let their local MP know how much they care. With the Government yet to hand over the cash for the settlement, now’s a good time to ring or visit - especially if they are in the National Party. It’s even better if you take a friend or two!
Health of older people strategy update Following on from last Fair Share News, consultation is still open on an updated Health of Older People Strategy (HOPS). The last strategy was written in 2002, and is overdue for reform. In particular, the lack of regulation on staffing levels often sees members unable to provide the quality care they want and that our older people deserve. NZNO staff and delegates have been attending initial engagement workshops last year and this year to discuss proposed changes. The Ministry of Health is interested in hearing from a wide range of people involved in care and support of older people, and also from older people themselves. Including specific issues is still open for discussion, for example; more support for older people with mental health issues; housing; transport; workforce issues, and healthy environments for older people to live and socialise in. You can submit online at www.health.govt.nz/our-work/ life-stages/health-older-people/health-older-people-strategy-update/yoursuggestions. The next draft strategy is due out for consultation in June, and is another opportunity to raise the issue of safe staffing with the Ministry of Health.
www.nzno.org.nz
www.etu.nz
www.facebook.com/ NZNursesOrganisation
www.facebook.com/ EtuUnion/
0800 28 38 48
0800 1 UNION