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MERAS update – how your union can support you through your career
Caroline Conroy
MERAS Organiser
MERAS is often asked
what the benefits are
of joining a union.
Beyond the obvious
of negotiating
a collective
employment
agreement that
determines pay and
work conditions,
MERAS is able to
support midwives in a
range of ways as they
journey through their career.
For new graduate midwives MERAS is able
to offer a range of support as they make
that transition from student to confident
midwife. The majority of new graduate
midwives will be eligible for the lower fee
option for MERAS membership, given most
will have earned very little in the previous
year. For those new graduate midwives
who choose to work in a district health
board some will find themselves working
in unfamiliar hospitals with midwives they
do not know. Many of the larger DHBs offer
new graduate programmes and others will
usually offer comprehensive orientation
programmes. However there are times
when the reality of these programmes and
the expectations that the new graduate has
do not live up to the reality. Staffing levels
can change quickly and a new graduate
may find herself working in ward areas
that are short of experienced staff and
she may be faced with clinical situations
beyond what she could reasonably be
"FOR NEW GRADUATE
MIDWIVES MERAS
IS ABLE TO OFFER A
RANGE OF SUPPORT
AS THEY MAKE
THAT TRANSITION
FROM STUDENT TO
CONFIDENT MIDWIFE."
12 Midwifery News March 2014
"MERAS WAS
INSTRUMENTAL
IN DEVELOPING
A QUALITY AND
LEADERSHIP
PROGRAMME FOR
MIDWIVES SO
THAT THE CLINICAL
EXPERTISE THAT
MIDWIVES DEVELOP
WAS RECOGNISED AND
VALUED."
expected to cope with. If these situations
arise MERAS can support new graduate
midwives in discussing their concerns with
their managers and hopefully improving the
situation for them.
As the midwife's range of clinical
experience and skills develop within the
DHB hopefully she will be encouraged to
apply for and complete the Quality and
Leadership Programme (QLP). MERAS was
instrumental in developing a quality and
leadership programme for midwives so that
the clinical expertise that midwives develop
was recognised and valued. The QLP is a
national framework that is transferable if
midwives move from one DHB to another.
MERAS has facilitated several workshops
around the country to encourage more
midwives to complete the QLP process and
receive the funding recognition that is part
of this.
As midwives progress through their career
there may be occasions when they are
appointed to a new midwifery role or the
role that they are in has evolved to the
extent that the midwife feels that the
pay step or grade that she is on does not
reflect the role and responsibility of her job.
In these situations MERAS can assist and
support midwives to ensure that any new
role is paid at the appropriate rate and also
assist midwives in getting their pay step or
grade reviewed.
There may be times in a midwife’s career
when the service or role that she works in is
reviewed or disestablished in some way. In
these situations MERAS will support midwives
through any consultation process, assisting
them in writing submissions and lobbying
for their preferred outcome. MERAS will also
support midwives individually in any change
process to identify the best option for them
in terms of future employment opportunities
whether it may be redeployment, redundancy
or a new position.
During her career a midwife may be asked
by the DHB to account for particular clinical
decisions that she has made or be involved in
situations that could lead to disciplinary action.
In these situations MERAS plays an important
role in supporting the midwife and ensuring
that she gets a fair hearing. Midwives
sometimes worry that in these situations they
need to seek the services a lawyer. As a union
member MERAS is well placed to provide
the support that is needed and this service is
funded as part of the membership fees that
midwives pay to MERAS.
A midwife may also find during her career
that issues arise in relation to sick leave
entitlement, annual leave requests, study
leave entitlements, maternity leave
provisions or retirement planning. All
these issues may involve discussions with
managers or human resources departments
to resolve and again MERAS is available to
provide support and advice to the midwife.
The important aspect in all the above
situations is that midwives make contact
with their MERAS workplace representative,
or with MERAS General Manager Bernard
McIlhone or myself, as Organiser for
Auckland, Northland and Waikato as soon
possible so that we can hopefully resolve
the matter quickly.
For MERAS Membership e-mail
[email protected]
or call 03 372 9738
Visit us online at www.midwife.org.nz