The PSA has settled litigation over the planned
restructure of two key teams at Health NZ with an agreement
to significantly amend planned cuts to roles and
structures.
The settlement relates to proposed
restructures of the Data and Digital and Pacific Health
teams at Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora which were subject
to litigation before the Employment Relations Authority set
down for 22 April 2025.
“We’re pleased
the PSA’s legal action has resulted in a reversal of the
some of the planned deep and damaging cuts, but we remain
concerned that the cuts across the health system have
already gone too far and too wide,” said Fleur Fitzsimons,
National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te
Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“This is
ultimately all about patient care. Both teams play critical
roles in ensuring the health system delivers for patients
and communities and supports clinicians to do their job, so
it was important changes were made.
“But it
shouldn’t have taken legal action for Health NZ Te Whatu
Ora to listen to what health workers were telling it about
the risks to patient care and community health.”
Data
and Digital staff ensure clinicians can access patient
records 24/7, maintain ageing legacy systems, and are
integrating new nationwide IT systems. Health NZ had been
planning to almost halve the workforce including not filling
hundreds of vacant roles.
“Our legal action has
resulted in 175 roles being added back into these teams and
for contractor roles to be available to employees and could
mean that no staff are forced to be made redundant. This is
positive as these people have skills our health system
desperately needs.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
“We reached a settlement because
Health NZ was shedding too many highly skilled IT workers
through early exit allowed under the restructure. We had to
stop the bleed as these workers were critical to ensuring
patient care was not put at risk from IT systems
failing.
“While the settlement is welcome, the PSA is
disappointed the Privacy Commissioner has refused to
investigate cuts to Data and Digital given the risks to
sensitive patient information and our concerns
remain.”
For Pacific Health, a smaller reduction in
the full-time workforce has been agreed with a net 22 roles
going compared to 50 in the original proposal though many of
the people affected will have priority for similar roles
within Heath New Zealand. This is not ideal, but the unions
feedback was taken on board including retaining regional
partnerships and protecting some crucial administration
roles. In addition, some workers, previously facing
redundancy, will be redeployed elsewhere in the health
system so they can carry on their important
work.
“Today’s settlement underscores the value of a
union taking on an employer which is following the
Government’s direction to cut the health system regardless
of the consequences.
“There are still other teams that
are subject to restructuring – Health NZ is still under
instruction from the Government to cut spending and the PSA
is seeking legal advice about filing litigation against
these proposals too.
“These constant cuts are not a
recipe for a health system that properly delivers the timely
and effective health care New Zealanders expect and the PSA
will be strongly resisting all further
cuts.”
