Midwives lured to Counties by $11,000 top-up
5:00AM Wednesday December 19, 2007
By Errol Kiong
Midwives are being offered an $11,000 bonus to work at Counties Manukau District Health Board as staff shortages at the country's busiest maternity unit bite hard.
But the move has angered the other two Auckland boards because recently recruited staff have been lured away by an effective 20 per cent pay top-up on the average midwife's $55,000 annual salary.
The Auckland and Waitemata boards are also upset that the deal was made without their knowledge, when the three health boards are supposed to be working together to solve staff shortages.
The move has also put pressure on Auckland and Waitemata to follow suit with similar offers to prevent their own staff leaving for Counties.
One source said the move had already seen four midwives, recruited from a lengthy and costly overseas recruitment drive, defect to Counties shortly after starting at Auckland.
More
here .