Employee Relations Update: Strikes, Wage Pressure and job cuts.
Read on for a summary of ER events.
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3 Mar
From February through April, Oranga Tamariki staff will strike for two hours every Friday, affecting approximately 2,800 workers.
The strike follows the rejection of the latest pay offer, which included lump sum payments but no wage increase. Union representatives argue that a pay rise is necessary to address cost-of-living pressures and retain staff in critical roles.
Fred A – on-going discontent due to increased workload and no wage increase offer .
Mar 14
A major legal shift means that employers who withhold wages, salary, or leave payments are now committing a criminal act. Previously, only employees could be prosecuted for theft from their employer—now, the law applies both ways.
On Thursday, Parliament passed the Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Bill, introducing Section 220AA to the Crimes Act 1961. Employers who fail to pay employees their full wages could face:
– Up to $5,000 in fines and one year in prison (for individuals)
This aligns New Zealand with other countries like Australia, Norway, and California, where wage theft is already a criminal offense.
Fred A – good outcome, the law has been balanced.
Mar 18
After nine months of negotiations, including strikes and protests, Tertiary Education Union (TEU) members at Massey University have ratified a new collective agreement. Covering a wide range of university staff, the agreement delivers:
At the University of Canterbury, TEU members have also ratified a deal with a 5 percent pay increase over two years, salary progression for maintenance staff, and the successful defense of retirement leave entitlements.
Union leaders highlight these agreements as evidence that collective action leads to better outcomes for workers
Fred A – a generous settlement in the current tough economic environment. The union did well for its members!
After a wave of restructuring in 2024 another 133 public service roles are set to go at the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) – this will see the loss of staff in keeping children safe from online harm, stopping scams and international crime engaging in money laundering.
Fred A – not a good proposal! Short-term savings with long-term negative implications. As a nation we seem to be going backwards!
21 March
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is set to reduce its civilian workforce by approximately 370 roles as part of a major restructure. This follows 145 redundancies last year, with NZDF previously warning that further cuts were likely.
A proposed restructure at Canterbury’s Ara Institute will result in job cuts, though the exact number remains unclear. Staff have been presented with three significant change proposals affecting academic, student support, marketing, engagement, and international teams.
The Tertiary Education Union (TEU) warns that the changes will reduce staff numbers, increase workloads, and disrupt students and the community. The restructure follows the government’s decision to disestablish Te Pūkenga by the end of next year, requiring institutions to operate independently again.
Ara has begun consulting staff, with final decisions expected after the consultation period ends next month.
Fred A – the intention of the government is to scrap overarching support for Polytech’s with a return to each operating as stand-alone entities.
22 Mar
Beginning on Saturday over 850 lab staff will walk off the job – this action is expected to impact elective surgeries, delay cancer reporting and reduce community testing in some regions. Life preserving services will be unaffected. The labs affected by the strike is Awanui, Pathlab and Medlab.
Lab staff are calling for pay increases to match their counterparts at Te Whatu Ora who perform the same job and are paid 30% more.
Fred A – underpaid, overworked and angry!
For additional reading:
Disclaimer: Fred A’s comments are solely his personal opinion and should not be viewed as factual or as an authoritative commentary in regard to any published article, individual and organisation.
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Image Credit : Photo by Thomas Coker on Unsplash
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