Science workers demand 'fair offer' from PHF Science
Science workers at the New Zealand Institute of Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) are striking on Tuesday to demand a "fair offer" from the organisation which is proposing a shift to performance-based pay and 0% cost-of-living increase.
The Public Service Association (PSA) said the strike will involve more than 400 science workers who do research on public health that informs Government decisions, test wastewater for drugs, track the spread of infectious diseases, help ensure safe food and water, and do crime scene forensic investigation for the Police.
They are striking from 11 am to 12 pm at PHF Science sites in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.
"PHF Science must come to the table with a fair offer, and the Government must admit its science sector reforms are a failure, and fund the sector so it can pay its workers fairly," said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi, in a statement.
Shift to performance-based pay
Among the issues called out by the striking employees is PHF Science's shift from step-based pay to performance-based pay.
"Performance pay doesn't make for more effective workers, and it doesn't accurately reflect performance. It can introduce unconscious bias and contribute to gender and ethnic pay gaps," Fitzsimons said.
"The last time PHF Science had performance-based pay, its workers were some of the lowest paid in the science sector. Sometimes these workers were not reaching the midpoint of their pay band after 10 to 15 years of service."
No cost-of-living increase
Workers are also calling out the lack of guaranteed pay increase at PHF Science, according to the PSA, which said the institute's latest offer has a 0% cost-of-living increase.
"In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, these workers are being asked to go backwards while doing essential work for the entire nation," Fitzsimons said.
"This is the latest episode in the rolling disaster that is the Government's reforms to the science sector."
PHF Science is a newly established institute that replaced the former Institute of Environmental Science and Research in 2025.
It aims to strengthen public health through disease detection and response, and support public safety through forensic science services.
The organisation is one of the three institutes established in 2025 in what former Science Minister Shane Reti described as the "most significant science reforms in three decades."
The other institutes are the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science and the New Zealand Institute for Earth Science.
"These institutes will ensure our world-class researchers are focused on delivering science that drives innovation, supports our industries, and improves the lives of everyday New Zealanders," Reti said last year.
