Nurses reject pay offer

The Herald reports:

Up to 8000 people will have procedures rescheduled ahead of Thursday’s nurses strike and hospitals are ramping up preparations to make sure they can treat those who are in urgent need.

Thousands of nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants voted to walk off the job on Thursday for the first time in 30 years after rejecting the latest pay offer from the district health boards (DHBs).

Capital and Coast chief medical officer John Tait, speaking on behalf of health boards around the country, said between 6000 and 8000 elective procedures would be deferred.

I guess this is what happens when pre-election rhetoric meets reality.