P.S.A hospital group to meet on Dunedin dispute

Press, 10 November 1983, Page 2

P.S.A hospital group to meet on Dunedin dispute

Public Service Association hospital group representatives will meet in Wellington today to decide what support to give to members at Cherry Farm, Dunedin. Sunnyside Hopsital staff have sought approval for a stop-work meeting to discuss what action should be taken in support of Cherry Farm nurses, and staff at Ngawhatu Hospital in Nelson have already approved direct action, subject to ratification by the P.S.A. executive.

The dispute at Cherry Farm revolves round proposals to close Orokonui Hospital (an adjunct of Cherry Farm Psychiatric Hospital), to use the freed funds from Orokonui to improve Wakari General Hospital and to transfer psychogeriatric patients from Orokonui Hospital to Wakari.

The Cherry Farm staff consider the changed circumstances at the hospitals would be to their detriment — they would no longer be able to be represented by the P.S.A. and would not be working under the same working The hospitals group of the P.S.A. consider the Cherry Farm dispute is one that has national implications. Sub-groups throughout the nation • have been approached and, according to a group spokesman, support for Cherry Farm staff would be “welcome.”

The support is sought mainly as a lever to bring the Health Department to the negotiating table to hammer out all the ramifications of the proposed move. “Discussions” with the department have taken place, but nothing further.

On Tuesday evening, a’ special general meeting of staff at Ngawhatu, at which 10 per cent of the hospital staff attended, agreed to seek the approval of the P.S.A. to serve 14 days notice to take direct action to support the Cherry Farm sub-group, says the Nelson reporter of “The Press.” The chairman of the Ngawhatu sub-group, Mr Glen Murray, said that this direct action would involve the withdrawal of some nonnursing duties (no nursing staff would perform patient driving except in an emergency, would not carry out non-patient cleaning or replacement of rubbish bags, excluding the surgery areas; nor clear tables after meals.) This action, said Mr Murray, would remain in force until such time as the Health Department agreed to the proposals surrounding the changed nursing services for Wakari. x The chairman of the Nelson Hospital Board, Mr Rodney Haines, said yesterday he was both horrified and disappointed at the subgroup’s proposals. “We have had excellent good will at Ngawhatu up to now. Why did not they come and talk to us first? After all, in this dispute we are only the meat in the sandwich,” he said. The Minister of Health, Mr Malcolm, faced a picket at Dunedin Hospital where he opened, the New Zealand Hospital Engineering Association conference yesterday. About 20 people were in the picket, organised by the P.S.A. Cherry Farm Hospital sub-group.

Mr Malcolm entered the hospital through the picket. One of the picketers threw a handful of coins at him.