Health Minister Andrew Little was met with a small silent protest during his address at a nursing conference in Wellington on Thursday.
Five people attending the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Conference stood with signs saying "31-12-2019", a reference to the day nurses were told they would receive back pay from, following a pay equity agreement.
Some members say the promise had been reneged on after a lump sum amount was agreed on instead.
Grant Cloughley, who works in a children’s ward, was among those standing during the address.
“It was a silent reminder that members are not happy with what’s happened," he told 1News.
He says the agreement put in place was “totally disregarded” amid the ongoing pressures faced by nursing staff throughout the country.
The Minister acknowledged the disagreement over the pay equity claim in his speech.
“Last December, after a lengthy period of engagement, an agreement in principle was reached, but this has now been challenged on a number of grounds and is the subject of litigation," he said.
In a statement, Little told 1News while he was aware there were "some people at the back of the room with placards", he "couldn’t make out what they said".
"No one pointed out to me what the significance of the gesture was."
He further added that the Government's position was that there "has never been an agreement to back-pay the pay-equity claim to 31 December, 2019".
"In 2018, the NZNO and DHBs expressed an intention that rates would commence on that date. It was an expression of intention, based on the understanding the technical work and negotiation associated with the claim would be completed," he said.
"It wasn’t, because it was considerably more complex than both parties anticipated."
Little said an agreement-in-principle was reached between the parties' representatives last December, but did not include back pay to December 2019.
"The union asserts there is an agreement and has gone to court to uphold the agreement they say exists. It will be a matter for the Court to say whether there is an agreement or not," he said.
"The union has made an application to the Employment Relations Authority asserting no agreement on pay-equity rates exists, and requesting the Authority to set all rate of pay."
Little would not speak further on the matter as it is before the courts.
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