Nurses Seek Public Support For Fair Pay Campaign

Nurses Organisation Seeks Public Support For Fair Pay Campaign

International Women’s Day

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation will launch a national public petition tomorrow on International Women’s Day.

Nurses, midwives and their supporters will collect signatures from International Women’s Day until International Nurses Day on March 12.

Nurses Organisation Organising Services Manager, Laila Harré, said today the petition would call on parliament to ensure that DHBs are adequately funded to pay nurses and midwives fairly.

The petition also calls for adequate funding of DHBs to ensure that our public hospitals have safe staffing levels and nurses and midwives are valued so they will stay in the profession.

“International Women’s Day has always been a day to stand up for women’s rights and especially working women’s rights,” said Laila Harre.

“It’s fitting that nurses and midwives ask the New Zealand public to back them in their fight to be paid fairly compared to other professions requiring similar skills, experience, responsibility and qualifications,” she said.

“We know the public strongly supports their nurses and the national petition will provide the public with the opportunity to demonstrate that support to parliament.”

Laila Harré said the petition would be presented to parliament before Budget 2004.

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