Nurses' long fight for gender pay equity has taken a further hit because of a dispute over back pay - they're heading back to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA).
Photo:
After four years of negotiation with district health boards, unions the Nurses Organisation and the Public Service Association appeared to have reached a settlement last month.
But at the last minute, members of the Nurses Organisation, the biggest union, raised concerns that the settlement did not include the backpay to December 2019 they had expected.
A poll was conducted and nurses have now voted to take the settlement back to the Employment Relations Authority to have it decide whether DHBs are required to pay the back pay.
Health Minister Andrew Little said last month the set back was concerning and he thought the agreement between the unions and the DHBs was binding.
He said it was unusual for the union to relitigate at such a late stage and he urged all the parties to stand by the agreement.
The gender pay settlement is aimed at addressing the fact nurses are paid less than some men in equivalent professions because they are mostly women.
