Nurse Maude care and support workers will picket in Merivale from 8.30am on Monday, part of a nationwide strike involving around 285 workers.

It follows a first strike on 31 July, after which the union said the employer failed to come back with an acceptable offer.

Joining them are about 35 staff at Nurse Maude’s Care Coordination Centres in the Wellington region, known as CareCo, who are in a separate pay dispute. Pickets are also planned in Nelson, the Hutt Valley, Kāpiti and Porirua.

“After bargaining, Nurse Maude is still not giving these workers a fair pay deal and it’s still trying to strip two days of sick leave from a workforce that can’t afford to get sick on the job,” Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said.

CareCo workers assess older people’s care needs and coordinate their support across the Wellington region. Care managers have been offered 2 percent and administration staff 2.5 percent, which the union said was below inflation.

“The pay offer is effectively a pay cut once you account for the cost of living,” Fitzsimons said.

“These workers are already struggling to make ends meet on low pay. They simply can’t take a pay cut.”

Nurse Maude chief executive Louise Zacest told Chris Lynch Media last week the organisation was negotiating in good faith and remained hopeful of reaching a settlement that was fair to everyone.

“There’s nothing fair about where these workers already stand. Their pay equity claim was cancelled, and now this employer is refusing to give them a fair pay offer,” Fitzsimons said.

“If the organisation is genuinely negotiating in good faith, workers would have seen a fair offer by now. They haven’t.”

The union said the door remained open to settle both disputes.

Picket details:

•Christchurch, 8.30am, corner of Papanui Road and Mansfield Avenue, Merivale

•Nelson, 8am, outside Nurse Maude’s offices, 4 Kidson Place, Stoke

•Hutt Valley, 8.30am, corner of High Street and Daysh Street, Avalon, Lower Hutt

•Kāpiti, 8.30am, corner of Te Roto Drive and Kāpiti Road, near Bin Inn

•Mana, Porirua, 8.30am, Mana Esplanade, down from the bridge, near NZ Sea Adventures