Midwives and nurses ‘flabbergasted’ over ‘sexist’ immigration changes – Stuff

Nurses and midwives say an immigration shake-up privileges male dominated professions, is sexist, and will do little to help fill hundreds of vacancies in New Zealand.

Its a completely sexist model, all the doctors are in the privileged group, hospital midwives union co-leader Jill Ovens said.

Immigration policy changes announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister for Immigration Kris Faafoi on Wednesday will provide a fast-track residency pathway for people from a green list a group of 85 occupations identified as having critical gaps.

The green list occupations are split into two groups with those in the straight to residence group entitled to apply for residency from September, while those in the work to residence group able to apply for residency after two years of work.

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Among the medical occupations, midwives and nurses are in the work to residence group, while medical specialists, including surgeons, GPs, anaesthetists and psychiatrists are in the straight to residence group.

John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff

Sheena Ross, midwife at Rata Midwives, helping deliver a petition to bosses of St George's Maternity Hospital to fight against its potential closure, as a result of staffing shortages.

Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment immigration spokesman Andrew Craig said more people from the work to residence group, including midwifery and nursing, left their job after gaining residence or there are currently other concerns about retention.

The two-year requirement ensures New Zealand is both attractive to migrant workers, and that the skills shortages the Government is seeking to fill will be addressed for at least two years by migrant workers in these.

Accent Health Recruitment co-owner Prudence Thomson said she was dumbfounded as to why midwives and nurses were not in the straight to residence group.

She said there was at least 120 vacancies for midwives and up to 1000 for nurses on a website targeting overseas health workers for jobs in New Zealand.

Other health care professionals, including physiotherapists and social workers, had missed out entirely on a fast track process to residency in the new structure, Thomson said.

I think we need to revisit the list, I dont think a food technologist should be on a fast track to residency over a nurse or midwife...

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Registered nurses are on a priority list for residency but will still need to work for two years before applying.

Having to wait two years before being able to apply for residency would be the biggest barrier for recruiting overseas staff, Thomson said.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) president Anne Daniels said she didnt think the immigration changes would help plug massive staffing gaps and agreed with Ovens the changes were discriminatory against women.

...doctors cant work without nurses, so Im absolutely flabbergasted to try to understand the rationale.

Daniels said there was wide-spread acceptance of huge vacancy rates for nurses across all sectors, which continued to grow.

So, whoever put this list together, I have to ask why were nurses, who are mostly women, not on the fast-tracked straight to residency pathway when the pressures on nurses throughout the country in every sector are beyond belief.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Health Minister Andrew Little holds a press conference to discuss the 'U-turn' on the nurse's pay equity deal by the Nurse's Union.

Thomson said employers were concerned about a mass exodus of nurses after the Government settles a pay equity claim.

I know when I was a nurse when I got a pay rise I headed off overseas. I think people will be holding on until they get their money, and they can go and do their big OE.

But Daniels said nurses may not leave to work overseas in large numbers if the pay equity claim, including back pay, was settled.

The deal, to address decades of gender-based pay discrimination, would add more than $520 million each year, to the health payroll.

This is why the equity pay settlement needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later so that young nurses are not forced to make a decision to earn more here or overseas, they will be moving simply because they want to grow themselves as professionals.

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Midwives and nurses 'flabbergasted' over 'sexist' immigration changes - Stuff