A frontline mental health worker is warning the country's mental health crisis will get worse unless district health boards make a new pay offer.
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More than 10,000 health workers are working to rule - meaning they will only perform duties strictly to the letter of their contract - for two weeks from today. They include anaesthetic technicians, oral health therapists, alcohol and drug clinicians and mental health workers.
Mental health services had been struggling to attract staff for many years and will continue to flail under current conditions, PSA spokesperson and mental health worker Andy Colwell said.
"When a vacancy does occur, it means other people need to pick up the slack, but it is not uncommon for vacancies to last for several months at least," Colwell said.
An offer was expected from the DHBs, but Colwell said he waited all last week to no avail and was not holding his breath.
Allied health workers said strike action would mean alcohol and drug patients may face delays in appointments.
Members have been in negotiations for 18 months and felt like they had no choice but to refuse to do overtime and start taking scheduled breaks in protest, PSA organiser Will Matthews told Midday Report.
The DHBs had been dragging their feet while essential workers were run off theirs, he said.
"They will maybe be able to get a sandwich in if they are lucky. By taking their breaks that is going to disrupt the flow of their appointments, so it is likely some appointments will be pushed to the coming days," Matthews said.
Allied health workers 'work to rule'
The union has not released details on what the workers want, saying it was confidential.
Matthews said many of the 10,000 workers taking part could not pay their bills and were leaving for higher paid jobs at the likes of KFC.
"We have not received an offer that will pay this group of overworked and undervalued workers what they deserve," Matthews said.
A 24-hour strike was also planned for next Monday.
"It can all be called off tomorrow if the DHBs get us an offer today, so we are calling on them to honour the recommendations of the Employment Relations Authority and end this dispute," he said.
The authority's recommendations were confidential.
Hawke's Bay DHB chief executive and spokesperson for DHBs on the matter Keriana Brooking said in a statement: "The Employment Relations Authority has provided a series of recommendations on how the current pay talks between DHBs and the PSA might be settled.
"DHBs are reviewing the recommendations with urgency and hope to finalise a formal offer of settlement for PSA members to consider as soon as possible.
"We have agreed some substantive improvements for this workforce in bargaining and appreciate the ERA's assistance which provides a way to approach the outstanding matters.
"DHBs and the PSA are both keen to address issues of low pay for this workforce and reaching an agreement to settle these pay talks so we can focus our efforts and energy on resolving the Allied Pay Equity claim for this group.
"We acknowledge bargaining has been protracted and both PSA members and DHBs have been waiting for some time.
"DHBs still hope to prevent further action next week and that the offer being finalised now will result in the lifting of the strike action."