At the Heart of the Hospital
14 Nov 2018
Tags: District Health Boards Network Women's Equal Pay
At the heart of the hospital, Admin and DHB Clerical Workers have raised a claim for Equal Pay
Representing 7000 members PSA raised the claim on Administrators Appreciation Day, which marks the massive contribution admin staff around New Zealand make to their workplaces.
"DHB clerical and administration staff are among the poorest-paid workers in the health system, and around 90 per cent of them are women," PSA National Secretary Erin Polaczuk says.
"They keep the system running, but most are paid little more than the minimum wage because their jobs have been considered ‘women’s work’.
"This claim, raised under the process recommended by the Joint Working Group on Equal Pay Principles, will set about ending this once and for all."
The claim has been endorsed by nearly 5000 PSA members working in DHBs. Here you can keep up today with how the Campaign is progressing, and ways to be involved.
Admin DHB Claim documents
Claim-for-District-Health-Boards-CA-18-April-2019.pdf
Here you will find all the things you need to show your support for the Equal Pay Admin Clerical DHB Claim
Sign up sheets
EP-Group-Membership-form-2018-position2.pdf
Printed Petition
We currently have a petition going to collect 10,000 signatures in support of the Admin Clerical DHB Claim. You can download a printable version for your friends, family or colleagues to sign or share the on line version here
http://www.together.org.nz/heartofthehospital
Christmas Carol Book
This year the Admin Clerical DHB Advocates have Great Expectations for their Equal Pay Claim but with an effective date yet to be agreed they have been left wondering, where the dickens is my Equal Pay? To raise awareness of their Christmas woes the Bargaining team developed a Christmas Carol Equal Pay book dedicated to achieving Equal Pay in 2018. Download a copy and share it with your colleagues, or hold an event and sign some carols. Don't forget to take videos and photos and send them through to us at photos@psa.org.nz
Christmas-carols-booklet-2018.pdf
Find copies of the posters and resources for downloading and printing here:
Heart of the Hospital Worth 100%
dhb-admin-poster-meeting-pair2.pdf DHB-meeting-format2.docx
Seen a newsletter but can't remember what it said? Want to pass a recent copy on to a new advocates?
All newsletters will be put here so you can refer to them as required
Update-5-March.pdf Newsletter 4
Newsletter-1.pdf Newsletter-2-29-October.pdf Newsletter-3-22-November-2018.pdf
Here you can see all what has been happening out in the regions to raise awareness for the DHB Admin Clerical Claims.
Any one is welcome to promote the claim, in fact we encourage it. If you have an idea or event that you would like help with then get in touch with us via email Jo.Taylor@psa.org.nz
Meet your Admin Clerical Bargaining team
Back row Nancy McShane , Ashok Shankar (PSA Organiser), Deb Williams, Sue McCullough (PSA Organiser) Bronni Mercier, Lisa Heap (PSA Equal Pay Advisor)
Front Jacky Maaka, Jeanette Wilkinson, Jennifer Rankin, Jaime Hewitson Townley
Absent: Deb Augur and Jo Taylor (PSA Campaigns Organiser)
Below are recent events that have happened to give you an idea of what you can do in your area
Launch of the Admin Clerical Campaign June 2018
Canterbury Admin Clerical Day
South Canterbury Pink Notice Board
Lobbying is using your right to meet your Member of Parliament (MP) as a constituent.
An MP should regard you as a constituent, whether you voted for them or not. MPs are meant to "represent" each constituent’s interests. This does not mean that they have to agree with you. However, it means they should listen and be prepared to pass on your views to the Government.
How to contact your local MP
Most Members of Parliament (MPs) have offices at both Parliament and at their electorate or place of residence (for List MPs).
Go to www.parliament.nz for a list of Members of Parliament and their contact details.
Visiting your local MP
MPs are available to meet with people at their Electorate Office in sessions known as a constituency ‘clinic’. The clinic sessions are usually on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, as Parliament tends to sit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Some MPs also hold constituency clinics outside their main centre.
1. Contact the electorate office and the member’s electorate secretary will arrange an appointment for you.
2. Arrange a small team of PSA members/reps to go to the meeting with you – you are "real people". MPs are more likely to listen to real people telling real stories than professional lobbyists.
3. The meeting should not be too long. Ask at the start how much time the MP has got and/or check with their staff beforehand. Plan your presentation accordingly. Usually the meeting will be 30 minutes max. Download the MP speaking points to use as a reference or help you with your meeting prep
4. Tell your stories - if you use real stories involving people from the MP's own electorate this will keep the MP involved and make your issue "human".
5. Keep it short and to the point - an MP is busy. If the MP wants to talk about something, do that, but try to bring the conversation back to the topic. Know your stuff and ‘stick to your knitting’.
6. Keep the MP involved. Don’t lecture for 30 minutes. Have 5 minutes max to overview your pitch and then open to discussion. Plan questions to get the MP talking.
7. Keep calm. You may get a hostile MP or just someone who wants to play the devil's advocate. Use rational arguments, reiterating your most important points, don't exaggerate, and don’t make things up; stay polite.
8. Leave a one pager - a bullet point summary of the problem, solution, key arguments, the specific ask and contact details for getting back to you.
Download the PSA version or have a go at writing your own
9. Follow up. MPs move on to the next issue. Do a follow up email or phone call or letter, thanking them for meeting you and asking for an update from them. Also make a note of any issues or concerns raised in the meeting and respond to these in your follow-up.
Five things you should know about MPs
1. Their electorate and parliamentary secretaries runs their lives. Book meetings through them.
2. They are expert on a few things. Many know their main subjects inside out, but they don’t know every topic inside out. Don’t patronise them, but don’t assume in-depth knowledge of your issue.
3. They are often driven by media coverage. Will it make them look good? Are there media opportunities in the proposal?
4. They have to tow their party line. Individual MPs can be sympathetic and supportive, but they are usually whipped along party lines, so it is best to build support with senior MPs and Ministers if possible.
5. They are actually quite human. They have families, interests, careers outside parliament. Don’t be shy or put off.
