Hospital support staff wait five months for agreed pay rise

Hospital support staff represented by the E tū union are waiting five months for an agreed pay rise. The money is not expected to reach them until the end of January next year, according to RNZ.

The deal provides a 2.5 percent pay increase and a $1000 lump sum payment. Union members voted for the pay rise, and the two sides reached agreement in negotiations on 3 September.

Health New Zealand, the government agency that runs the country's public hospitals, said it had a backlog of collective agreements it was working to implement. A collective agreement is the written deal on pay and conditions between an employer and a union.

Health New Zealand's payroll team is working to schedule the implementation of about 34 collective agreements between now and March next year, RNZ reported.

New Zealand's Living Wage, a benchmark hourly rate, is currently $29.90. Some hospital support staff earn less than that.