In one of the biggest workers strikes in New Zealand history, on 23rd October, 100,000 nurses, teachers, and public sector employees participated in a protest to the government to increase funding and resources to the public services.
The so-called mega strike united workers in various sectors that included over 60,000 school teachers, 40,000 nurses and salaried medical experts, and 15,000 government employees.
Although this country has experienced extreme weather, which forced the cancellation of events in Wellington and other parts of the country, tens of thousands attended rallies in the country where they carried signs, chanted, and demanded that the government invest in education and health.
“They should not harm the patients or kill them, and then things can change, according to the words of one nurse, Becks Kelsey”, who organized a rally in Auckland. “We want the government to invest in the welfare of our community, not in the warp.”
Secondary school teacher Paul Stevens said in the rally that teachers were abandoning the country and profession they love because they simply had had enough and they did not feel valued. “We must have our politicians play their game and take credit for the success of governments, to slowly choke our vital services of government, with what they need.”
The combination of collective bargaining with the coalition government ended, and members of various unions voted to strike. Although the demands of each union were sector-specific, the complaints were largely similar: poor pay, unsatisfactory staffing levels, insufficient number of resources, and poor working conditions endangering the well-being of workers, patients, and children.
Noreen McCallan, a nurse at Hawke’s Bay, made the statement saying they were afraid of the safety of their patients. “The shortage of staff has become too heavy and draining for most of us. Our patients are in more agony due to the inability to reach them promptly as needed.”
Liam Rutherford, the teacher at Palmerston North, said that “there should be serious investment in education rather than making changes around the edges.”
This is not the offer the government has now, which will not positively contribute to our new teacher-recruiting and teacher-retaining processes. The attraction of Australia is excessive.
Health and education are two of the sectors in which pressure has been mounting in New Zealand over the last several years. Hospitals have complained of having catastrophic failures as a result of being overcapacity, excessive wait time to receive care, and a lack of staff. Staffing shortages are also being experienced in schools.
Meanwhile, the government has also cut its funding of the public services in its hope of expanding the economy and cancelled dozens of claims on equity.
In the meantime, the citizens are moving out of the country faster than ever, and most of them are heading to Australia to find more employment and higher salaries, even in the education and healthcare sectors.
The protest has not been met well by the coalition government, which is why the prime minister, Christopher Luxon, has dismissed it as politically motivated, and the education, health, and public services ministers have declared it unwarranted and unproductive.
The government, in a statement by the minister of public service, Judith Collins, said it was at the table with offers, and the unions were out on the street with megaphones.
She mentioned. “The strike was a hoax on the government, where thousands of patients and children would bear the cost.”
The strike on Thursday led to the closure of many schools, and health providers cut down on non-essential services. Nevertheless, the support of the strike by the population is positive despite the interruptions. A Talbot Mills poll indicated that 65 per cent of the people were in support of the strike, and close to half of those who voted for the coalition government were also in support of the strike.
The strike was supported by the opposition parties, and the head of the Labor Party, Chris Hipkins, apportioned the blame for the industrial action.
In a statement, Hipkins said that Luxon was not in touch and was worsening our health and education systems.
He has also put his priorities in perspective: he has proceeded to give away colossal salary increases to boardroom appointees and millions of dollars to tobacco companies rather than investing in the services that we all depend on.
