Government in dispute with teachers and nurses over pay and working conditions
New Zealand teachers and nurses are both set to walk off the job over pay and conditions, with the government urging both groups to return to the bargaining table.
The New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation announced this week that they will stage strikes over pay increases and staffing issues.
The PPTA said it will hold a one-day strike on August 20 after it was "endorsed overwhelmingly" by members in a recent ballot.
"The Government's offer of a one per cent pay increase is the lowest in a generation and comes at the same time as teachers face the biggest changes to secondary education in a generation," said Chris Abercrombie, president of PPTA Te Wehengarua, in a statement.
At the same time, Te Whatu Ora members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation voted to go on strike on September 2 and 4, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
"Our members are clear that they want to keep fighting for the safety of their patients and to reduce preventable patient deaths," said NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter in a statement.
"Nurses, midwives, health care assistants, and kaimahi hauora have had enough of their patients waiting for care because they are too busy to get to them. They became health care workers because they want to help people and give them the care they need. Not risk their suffering due to a lack of staff."
'Extremely disappointing' actions
In separate statements, the NZ Government called on the unions to return to the bargaining table instead of staging a strike, citing its disruption to services.
Public Service Minister Judith Collins and Education Minister Erica Stanford said the PPTA's strike action was "extremely disappointing."
"The PPTA had barely sat down at the bargaining table before taking this drastic action," Collins said in a statement.
According to the government, their current offer to secondary teachers includes a three per cent increase over three years, on top of annual pay progression between four per cent and 7.5%.
"Bargaining requires genuine engagement and trade-offs from all parties. Instead of providing feedback or engaging constructively, the PPTA has chosen disruption," Collins said.
Stanford said the strike action will disrupt student learning, and will put pressure on parents and caregivers who need to make alternative arrangements when their children cannot come to school.
"We urge the PPTA to return to the bargaining table with a commitment to constructive dialogue and a realistic settlement – one that supports teachers, students, and the integrity of our public education system," the ministers said.
Disruptions to healthcare ahead
Meanwhile, Health NZ said it is also "deeply concerned" about the NZNO's further strike action in September.
"Strikes delay care and treatment for patients not just for the hours of the strike but for the days leading up to and after a strike," it said in a statement.
It warned that staging the strike will delay an estimated 2,251 planned procedures, 3,600 first specialist appointments, as well as 8,000 follow-up appointments.
"We encourage NZNO to put patients first by cancelling the strike action and returning to the bargaining table," the agency said.
The NZNO's strike action comes after strike action last month over a dispute on its collective agreement.
Te Whatu Ora said strike action makes them carry out fewer procedures and reduces the number of patients in hospitals needing care. It also takes time to catch up with demand and bring services back to normal after a strike.
"We are committed to reaching a settlement with the NZNO however the outstanding issues need to be resolved through further bargaining, not more strike action," the agency said.
"We recognise improvements can be made to the current safe staffing approach and we are exploring how that can be progressed. We have spoken to the union about safe staffing but are yet to receive a coherent response."
Te Whatu Ora has offered nurses a pay increase that would see a new graduate nurse on $75,773 gain a total pay increase of $8,337 (or 11%) by the end of June 2026.
A registered nurse on the highest step with a base salary of $106,739 would also see their pay increase by $3,224 to $109,963 during the same time period.
"We believe the offer we have made to the union is a fair one and better than many other offers being made in the public sector," Te Whatu Ora said.
