NURSES AND FORTY-HOUR WEEK

Chronicle (Levin), 31 August 1946, Page 3

NURSES AND FORTY-HOUR WEEK

WELLINGTON, August 30. "There is nol the siightest fouudatioa for any sueh suggestiou that the Govermnent would object to tlie apjdieation of the fortydiour ■week to uurse:? in publie hospitals, " said the Ittinister of Health, Uon. A. Ii. Nordnieyor, today,. ILe added that it had beeu empjiasised by hospital authorities geueraily that, because of the rontinued sliortage of nurses and because of the uature of tho work, the universal ap..pliealioH of tlie forty-hour week was y impraeticabie and regard had undoubledly been paid to this view by Hospital Jloards when seeking approval of the now salary scules for nurses, " PersouaJly I have beeu unable to see any insupej-abJe diffieulty iu appiying the prineiple to the same oxtcnt as it is applied iu other avenues of employment where a eomparative sliortage of staff has necessitated hours of duty J iu ex.eess of tlie nomiual forty, " said the Minister, "but paymcut made for sueh exeess time. It is opou to Ihe Iiospital Boards' Assoeiatiou to make applieation, to tlie Stabilisation Commissiou for sueh alterations in the approved seale as are neeessary to euabJe nurses to be compensated for longer - hours worked. I understand that the Assoeiatiou is galhering jnt'ormation prior to' eonsidering the quostion of malring applieatiou on these lines. I have 110 reuson to believe the vStabilisation Commissiou would deai other than syiupathetieally with any sueh applieatiou. 1 ' ^