Nurses will strike this Thursday after rejecting the District Health Boards' latest pay offer.
Cee Payne of New Zealand Nurses Organisation said potentially over 30,000 NZNO members would be involved in the 24 hour strike, scheduled to start at 7am July 12.
"The issues faced and reported by our members have arisen from a decade of severe underfunding of our public hospitals," Ms Payne said.
The rejection comes after the Nurses Union (NZNO) recommended the DHBs' offer be accepted by nurses, describing the latest proposal as providing equal values to both nurses and midwifes and saying it would tackle staffing shortages from July 1.
Nurses voted online to reject the offer.
The nurses have been in a pay dispute with DHBs after rejecting a $500 million pay package last month.
Last Thursday's strike was cancelled to give nurses time to vote on the latest offer.
Ms Payne said the DHB has requested further facilitation with NZNO. Contingency plans and life preserving services have been put in place during the strike across New Zealand.
"We are confident that these will be in place as patient safety and public safety is paramount," Ms Payne said.
SHARE ME