During the STONZ and DHB bargaining in December 2021, the ability for RMOs to be offered an allowance in lieu of a meal was discussed. This followed the survey of STONZ members earlier in 2021 which indicated approximately 50% of respondents would prefer to be paid an allowance rather than receive a meal subject to certain protections.
It was therefore agreed that a 12-month pilot from January 2023 to January 2024 to trial a meal allowance in lieu of a meal would be an appropriate way of exploring some of the nuances and potential challenges that a change may present.
The benefit of the pilot is that it will provide an opportunity for us to jointly understand and potentially enable alternatives to the current meal provision in the STONZ RMO Collective Agreement to be discussed.
The pilot is on an opt-in basis and STONZ and Te Whatu Ora have agreed an allowance per annum in lieu of the meal provision with districts continuing to provide meals overnight. If you choose to participate in the pilot all your other terms and conditions will remain the same. If you do not wish to participate, the current collective agreement provisions will remain in place with no impact on these.
The participating Districts confirmed to participate in the pilot are:
Waikato, Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua MidCentral, Whanganui, Waitaha Canterbury, South Canterbury, Southern.
For more information, how to register and FAQs click HERE