Around 3500 DHB mental health nurses, public health nurses, and mental health support workers are preparing to vote on a new pay offer this month.

"This long over-due offer is good news, coming off the back of a year of negotiations," says Erin Polaczuk, PSA national secretary.

"While the offer includes financial recognition, issues such as short staffing remain.

"PSA members have regularly raised the issues around insufficient staffing and its impact on the quality of patient care and staff wellbeing. For far too long our mental health and public health nurses have faced unsustainable workloads and unsafe working environments.

"The PSA is hopeful that the recommendations of the Mental Health Inquiry, which are due out before the end of this month, will tackle these issues head on and provide workable solutions that can be implemented almost immediately."

Ratification meetings will now be held from Monday 8 October to Friday 26 October

Details of the offer are yet to be released. Features of the settlement include a minimum pay increase of 9% by the end of 2019, as well as clauses related to increased safety in the workplace and to tackling issues such as sexual harassment.

ENDS

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