Political Wrap Up: 11,000 construction jobs gone, Nurses Strike & Unemployment to reach Pandemic Levels

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Good morning, here’s a quick wrap up of 10 developments:

1. HEALTH: AUSTERITY BUDGET

Front-line hospital workers told jobs could soon be gone (RNZ / Lauren Crimp)

The government is set to fire non-clinical front line roles in Auckland as part of its cost saving measures. This includes teams who support clinical logistics, supply replenishment and cleaning.

Who will it fall on then?

We’ve already seen doctors around the country asked to make beds and clean sinks.

Tasks like removing contaminated linen, replenishing supplies and helping families find their loved ones may seem simple, but they were vital for infection control, patient comfort, and overall hospital efficiency, affected staff have said.

However, Health NZ - under a directive to cut an “aspirational” $2b -