1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,040 Speaker 1: Another day, another strike. This time the nurses have gone 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: thirty sixy out four twenty four hours. Paul Guilt is 3 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: the Nurses Organization Boston. He's with us, good morning, Good 4 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,039 Speaker 1: morning mate. Do you get sick of strikes? 5 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 2: Well, I say, of this striking, out of this issue issue. Really, 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 2: it's just gone on and on and let's just hope 7 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 2: we can finally get it sort of starffing. It's just 8 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 2: got to be dealt with. 9 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: So is this staffing or is it pay. 10 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 2: It's about staffing. The people are just absolutely fed up 11 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 2: at not being able to get enough staff on the wards. 12 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 2: And this has just gone on for years and I 13 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 2: think it's just come to a head. 14 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: Explain it to people who don't follow this. But there 15 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: are graduates who are complaining that they don't have guaranteed jobs. 16 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: How can we have graduates that don't have guaranteed jobs 17 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 1: and that you're telling me that we need more people. 18 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 2: Well, that's exactly the point that you've captured. It. It 19 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 2: comes down to funding in resourcing. They don't have the 20 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 2: funding to employ those graduates, and they don't have the 21 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 2: funding in our staff on the wards. 22 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: Okay, the nurses, this is the prime Minister's line nurses 23 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,040 Speaker 1: seniors one hundred and twenty five thousand, commensurate with New 24 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: South Wales, which is way wealthier than us. Nurse is 25 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: doing okay at that end of the market anywhere. 26 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 2: No, no, they're not. They wouldn't be going to Australia 27 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,839 Speaker 2: if that was the case. The wages, of course were 28 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 2: pumped up by the pay equity deal a couple of 29 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 2: years ago, but we're still got a major ressue and 30 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 2: basically the offer on the table was going to take 31 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 2: them backwards. 32 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,399 Speaker 1: So how big a gap money wise have we got 33 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: between what you want and what they're offering. 34 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 2: Well, I don't think it's that big, but of course 35 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 2: you'd expect me to say that. We think it's a 36 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 2: matter of a few percent. We're arguing that at least 37 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 2: we should meet cost of living and at the moment 38 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:51,559 Speaker 2: that doesn't go nearby? 39 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: Okay? Do I mean? What's your advice to people who 40 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: have got no money, which we don't. We have no money. 41 00:01:57,520 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: Love to pay nurses a fortune, but we have no money. 42 00:01:59,440 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: What do you do? 43 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 2: Well? It comes back to what are the fundamentals that 44 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 2: need to be funded? And I think the health system 45 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 2: is an absolute fundamental in any society, particularly in New Zealand, 46 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 2: and it just hasn't received enough money to futtle. We're 47 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,679 Speaker 2: a paired in front of a Select committee last year 48 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 2: and they put a number on the table and they said, 49 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 2: this is how far fush, this is what we need, 50 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 2: and this is how far short we are to run 51 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 2: a good health system. And that GAP's never been made up. 52 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: No, I get that. But where do you get your 53 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: money from? We have no money, less than no money. 54 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: Where would you get it from? 55 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,399 Speaker 2: Well, there is money where three hundred and sixty three 56 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 2: million I heard it's going to be saved and put 57 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 2: into the pockets of the tobacco industry. 58 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: No, that's an offset from money they haven't paid. You'd 59 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: need people to smoke to pay the excise tax for 60 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 1: the government to get the money. Do you want people 61 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: to keep smoking to give you the money? 62 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 2: Now? Of course we don't because that just put sexistrain 63 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:56,119 Speaker 2: on the hospitals exactly. 64 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: So there is no three sixty three So where do 65 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: you get the money from? 66 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 2: The money has to be found and it goes to 67 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 2: one priority. 68 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: Where help me out where. 69 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 2: A lot of the money has been spent on physical 70 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 2: infrastructure and we're saying that some of that should be 71 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 2: diverted into the social infrastructure. 72 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: So like, don't build a need in hospital, give it 73 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: to the nurses. 74 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 2: No, we're talking about roads and things like that. 75 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: Don't build roads, give it to the nurses. 76 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,519 Speaker 2: Well, the issue is you absolutely need nurses for a 77 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 2: safe health system, and we don't have a safe health system. 78 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 2: So it's pretty fundamentally these are matters of choices, political choices, 79 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 2: and governments of any color have to face this, and 80 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 2: we think a fundamental of any society like ours is 81 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 2: to have a safe and well funded health system. 82 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: Appreciate time Paul Golter, who's with the nurses. 83 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast. 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