Home's caregivers, nurses stop work over contract row | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

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Caregivers and nursing staff  at the Aubert Home of Compassion in Wanganui were on the streets yesterday in the first phase of industrial action against their employer.

The 60 staff members of the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) and NZ Nurses Organisation (NZSO) said the home had changed from being a "model employer" to one that undervalued  staff.

Yesterday they staged a  stopwork at Majestic Square from midday to 2pm and have signalled a 24-hour strike  on April 6.

Sam Jones, an SFWU organiser, said negotiations to renew collective agreements  started more than seven months ago but had been characterised by delays and changing positions. At the heart of the dispute was an attempt by the Home of Compassion board to reduce leave entitlements, he said.

"They've agreed to pass on taxpayer-funded increases, which they have been in receipt of since July 2009, but only if we agreed to give back leave entitlement - long-service leave of one additional week for staff who have completed seven years' service," he said.

 NZNO industrial  adviser Rob Haultain said the nurses saw the board's position  as  unfair and unreasonable.

Home of Compassion board chairman Monty Arnott told the Chronicle the board was not prepared to go into the detail of  its discussions  with the unions.

"The board is working through a bargaining process with the unions to try  to reach  an agreement on the collective agreement between the unions and the board," he said.

"We have been in mediation and endeavouring to work through that process to get an agreement between both parties but we've been unable to reach agreement to date.

"The board is disappointed that staff have have chosen to take industrial action but because of that we're not prepared to make any further comment at this time," Mr Arnott said.