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🇸🇬 Singapore /Economy & Trade

Nearly 10,000 New Zealand Public Servants to Strike on Sept. 9

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Nearly 10,000 New Zealand public servants plan to strike on Sept. 9 after negotiations over pay and working conditions broke down.
  • Workers from five government agencies will take part, with pickets and rallies planned nationwide.
  • The action adds pressure on the government before the Nov. 7 national election amid public-sector spending cuts and a reduced workforce.

Nearly 10,000 New Zealand public servants will walk off the job for several hours on Sept. 9 after talks over pay and working conditions failed to produce an agreement.

The Public Service Association said the action would involve staff at the Department of Internal Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and the Ministry of Social Development. Pickets and rallies are planned around the country.

The union said workers had received pay offers below inflation while facing heavier workloads. It also warned that cuts to the public service had put pressure on agencies’ ability to deliver services. Some employees have already staged industrial action, including a July 6 strike involving workers at three of the agencies.

“Public servants are facing pay offers well below inflation while working amid the devastating consequences of the government’s public service cuts,” PSA National Secretary Duane Leo said.

The planned strike comes before New Zealand’s Nov. 7 national election. Opinion polls indicate a close contest. Since taking office in 2023, the government has cut public-sector spending and reduced the workforce, according to the report.

Public servants are facing pay offers well below inflation while working amid the devastating consequences of the government’s public service cuts.

— Duane LeoThe PSA national secretary criticized the government’s pay offers and public-sector reductions in a union statement.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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