NURSES' PAY AND HOURS

Chronicle (Levin), 6 February 1947, Page 6

NURSES' PAY AND HOURS

■Press . Association

Boards Agree to 40-Hoor Week ; Extra Pay

Bv Telegraph—

DUNEDIN, Feb. 5. 5 • While agreeing with the ' principle of a 40-hour week for htispital staffs, delegates to the New Zealand Hospital Boards' Assojciation conference in Dunedin to,d,ay realised that it was .not yet possible to reduce hours. All agreed that nurses' salaries should be increased on the basis of a 40-hour week and. that the salaries of other hospital staff should also be raised. "The framing of nurses' salaries will be governed by regulations," said the president, Mr. J. W. Dove. Mr. H. D.- Toogood (Wellington) contended that nurses' salaries could be increased by 20 per cent. to corapensate them for working longer hours at a time when some people thought New Zehland could maintain its standard of living and social services on a 40-hour week. tf the 40-hour week were int'roduced to hospitals, the boards would have to close wards. ' ' The . executive has obtained opinions from the matrons of training scliools and Department of Health. In addition it has referred the matter to 'hospital boards," stated the executive 's report which was adopted by the conference. "The reaction of the matrons of training scliools to the proposal of a 40-hour week was one of general approval. The early realisation of this goal, however, is limited by many factors including the present supply of nurses and the provision of accommodation to house extra nurses. The position could be met to some degree by increasing the holiday period but here again the shortage of nurses is the obstacle. The executive affiruis the principle of payment to nurses on the basis of a 40-liour' week. ' ' | A remit from Buller suggested that hospital boards should encourage nurses to organir uuions and obtain conditions enjoyed by other workers, reasonable wages and reasonable hours of work, but this remit was heavily defeated, oue delegate remarking that in the event of a strike, the nurses might be called out in sympathy. He contended that nurses were happy with their present orgauisatiou. The following remits on salaries wero adopted by the coniprence: — That . the present nurses' salary scale be revievved with the object of a general all round increasfe. That the salary of qualified general trained nurses should not be reduced when atteuding a training hospital for niaternity or uiidwifery examinations. That conference views with alarm the working of stabilisation on salaries paid to executive officers and speeialists which is a distinct disadvautage in appointing and retaining first class executive officers atid specialists to hospitals, and reeominends the Government to vary the regulations to meet the needs of hospital' boards. That tlie Hospital Boards' Association draw up a .scale of sal&ricSi u.hb appiy to full-time medical officers of all hospitals.