Two of the country’s largest public sector unions are preparing strike action in the coming weeks, as teachers and nurses accuse the government of failing to address critical pay and staffing concerns.
Secondary school teachers, represented by the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA), are set to walk off the job next Wednesday after rejecting a government pay offer of a one percent annual increase over three years – which union leaders say is the lowest in a generation. The PPTA is demanding a four percent rise each year for three years, with an additional four percent in the first year to recognise the removal of pay equity. President Chris Abercrombie said the decision to strike was not taken lightly, but warned further industrial action could follow in September if there is no movement in bargaining.
Education Minister Erica Stanford urged the union to “ditch their political stunt” and return to negotiations, warning that rolling strikes so close to final exams would unfairly disrupt students. She criticised the PPTA for not presenting a counter-offer and accused it of acting too hastily after just six days of bargaining. Abercrombie countered that the current pay rate – averaging $100,000 – was still insufficient to attract and retain the staff needed to meet a shortfall of about 800 secondary teachers, especially amid major curriculum changes.
Meanwhile, members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) are planning two separate strike days, from 7am to 11pm on Tuesday 2 September and Thursday 4 September, after negotiations with Health New Zealand stalled. The union wants enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios, a commitment to hire more staff in line with staffing models, and a return to employing all nursing graduates. Chief executive Paul Goulter said nurses were “fed up” with an under-resourced system that compromises patient safety, with many staff burnt out.
Health NZ warned the strikes would postpone more than 2,200 planned procedures, 3,600 first specialist appointments and 8,000 follow-up appointments. Chief executive Dale Bramley said the agency had offered fair pay, citing increases that would lift a nurse on $75,773 by $8,337 (11 percent) by June 2026 with step progression, while a senior nurse on $106,739 would see their salary rise by $3,224. He noted progress in boosting staffing levels, with more than 3,000 additional full-time nurses employed over the past two years, turnover down from 13.3 to 8.1 percent, and vacancy rates at 3.6 percent.
Both disputes come amid growing concerns over public service staffing and pay, with union leaders insisting that without substantial investment, recruitment and retention will remain critical challenges – and industrial action will continue to loom over schools and hospitals.
Right on exams, it clearly reveals how these people, mainly women truly do not give a toss about children when money is at stake.
Ffs
Alot of us in the private sector haven’t had a payrise for 2 years and are on no-where near $100000 salary for skilled work.
Nurses and teachers may have been underpaid in the past, now like most public employees it seems they can’t get their heads out of the trough.
Pull your heads in
When teachers and nurses accuse the government of failing to address dumb-numbing edjucation and ongoing medical manslaughter, then they have my backing.
The ones who did and lost their job I support unequivocally with ’employment’ in home schooling and likewise doctors/nurses consultations.
Agree, no sympathy for either lot from me. They went along and ridiculed their fellow workers for caring for their bodies.
FFS. Earn cash people. So many troughers in the system.
How to win friends and influence people on struggle street.
I support them both wholeheartedly. I suspect what will happen is they will pack their bags and head for Australia. Who can blame them. As it stands it looks like this govt want to see us become Australia’s poorest state, so why not?
Good we don’t want them. Just homeschool your kids and don’t let these moaning idiots get anywhere near your kids. Most of them can’t even spell and the ones that are still there are vaccinated to the max, who wants someone that stupid showing your kids anything?
Teachers literally get 3 months paid holiday. Stop whining and do your job which isn’t that hard. Forget the indoctrination and just teach the kids to read and write.