3 April 2012

Industrial action spreads at Oceania

Thirty Oceania run rest homes will take strike action this Thursday 5 April as the long-running pay dispute grows into heartland New Zealand.

For the first time, eight rest homes in Gisborne, Whitianga, Pahiatua, Kapiti, Nelson, Stoke and Hawkes Bay will strike for four hours from 8am, joining 22 other sites which have been taking action for the past six weeks.

Up to 1500 members of the Service and Food Workers Union and New Zealand Nurses Organisation will take part in the action.

“What started as a straight-forward claim for a fair cost of living increase by hard working care workers has become a battle over corporate greed,” said joint union spokesperson Alastair Duncan. “In a sector that should be all about caring Oceania does not seem to understand that there’s no heart beat on a balance sheet.”

Last June Oceania received a 2.6% funding increase from every District Health Board. It has failed to pass that money on to staff and is persisting with its proposals to drip feed this money by instalments.

“If Oceania ignored the needs of its residents in the same way it ignores the needs of its staff they would be shut down tomorrow,” said Alastair Duncan.

Alastair Duncan said that, with the settlement of a similar dispute with the Radius rest home group last week, Oceania was now completely isolated.

Over the weekend the NZNO and SFWU developed three separate settlement proposals for Oceania to consider.

“The Oceania Board is meeting today. They can end this dispute today. If not, not the strikes will go ahead,” said Alastair Duncan.

New sites where workers have voted to join industrial action and contact include:

Gisborne: Dunblane
Paraparaumu: Eldon Lodge
Nelson: Greengables
Stoke: Otumarama
Pahiatua: Waireka
Whitianga: Whitianga Continuing Care
Hastings: Duart and Gracelands

ENDS

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